The Mysterious Soldier of the Anti-Japanese War

Chapter 378: Encountering Bandits in the Forest, and a Gambling Game in the Ocean Turning into War

With Lei Tao's shout, "Let's go!" everyone quickly rose and cautiously advanced along the designated route. A damp mist hung in the forest, its thick vapor soaking their clothes and chilling them to the bone. The path grew increasingly muddy and difficult to navigate, each step requiring considerable effort. The surroundings were eerily quiet, with the occasional cry of an unknown bird adding to the tense atmosphere.

During the march, Meng Xiaoyu suddenly stopped and said solemnly: "Brother Lei, I always feel that this road is too quiet. Could the Japanese have other conspiracies?" Lei Tao frowned slightly. He had the same premonition, so he signaled everyone to be vigilant and ready to fight at any time.

Just then, Chen Feiyang, walking at the front of the group, accidentally tripped a tripwire hidden in the grass. Instantly, a sharp arrow shot out from the nearby trees, narrowly missing him. "Be careful! Ambush!" Lei Tao shouted, and everyone immediately dispersed to seek cover.

Then, a group of men in ragged military uniforms emerged from the woods, wielding crude weapons and fierce gazes. Leading them was a burly man with a long scar across his face. He held his broadsword across his hand and shouted at the top of his lungs, "I built this road, I planted these trees. If you want to pass through here, you'll have to pay me!"

Lei Tao knew that he had met a tough guy, but he quickly calmed down, took a step forward, clasped his hands together, and said loudly: "There is a cloud in the northwest sky, a crow has fallen into a flock of phoenixes, the table is full of heroes, who is the king and who is the minister? The boss is here, we are all on the road to make a living, give us some convenience." This is the jargon used by the road to test the other party's origins and see if they have any friendship with each other.

When the bandit leader heard this, he was stunned at first, then he sneered and responded with his hands on his chest: "How can a wild chicken climb up the mountain? My friend, you are a bit rash in getting into this muddy water." He was questioning the strength of Lei Tao and others, and whether they were qualified to walk around in this mountain.

Lei Tao thought for a moment, and spoke in a jargon neither humble nor arrogant: "Boss, we have a deep connection today, so why not play a prize. I have three 'pan'erliang' (jargon for dollars) in my hand. If you can catch one of them steadily, the belongings on my brothers will be yours to deal with; but if you can't catch it, these three 'pan'erliang' will be yours to pay for our passage. Let us pass, and there will be many opportunities in the future, and we may have a chance to make a fortune together. What do you think?" After that, Lei Tao took out three dollars from his arms, tossed them lightly in his hands, making a crisp sound of collision, and stared at the bandit leader with a firm look in his eyes, waiting for his response.

When the bandit leader heard this, a trace of suspicion flashed in his eyes. He stared at the three cold-glowing oceans in Lei Tao's hand. After a moment's silence, he looked up to the sky and laughed: "You are interesting, kid! You dare to set rules on my mountain. I want to see how capable you are!" He waved his hand, signaling his men to disperse and make enough space for himself.

Lei Tao smiled faintly and winked at the people behind him. Chen Feiyang understood and stepped forward to stand beside Lei Tao. Lei Tao weighed the three dollars in his palm for a few times. Suddenly, with a flick of his wrist, a dollar flew towards the bandit leader's head with a slight whistling sound caused by friction with the air. Before the bandit leader could react, the dollar hit the tree trunk with a "puff", and half of the dollar sank into the trunk.

The bandit leader's eyes widened at the sudden sight, his gaze fixed on Dayang, who was embedded in the tree trunk. Shock was written all over his face, and for a moment he was speechless. The surrounding bandits also stood there in shock. The once noisy forest suddenly became quiet, with only the rustling of leaves in the breeze.

"This...how is this done?" A little bandit couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice, his voice full of disbelief.

The bandit leader came to his senses and looked Lei Tao up and down. The wariness and suspicion in his eyes had long since vanished, replaced by admiration. "Brother, good skills! Scarface Li has been around these mountains for so many years, and this is the first time I've seen such a formidable figure. But I still have two more, come on!" He positioned himself as if ready to take the silver, his eyes fixed on the silver in Lei Tao's hand.

Lei Tao calmly flicked his wrist again, sending a second dollar spinning rapidly towards the bandit leader. This time, the bandit leader was prepared. He leaned sideways and reached out to catch the dollar. However, the dollar was too fast, and although he touched it, he couldn't catch it firmly, and it fell to the ground with a clang.

The bandit leader showed a hint of embarrassment on his face, but then burst into laughter and said, "Haha, what's so great about that? Come again!" Lei Tao smiled slightly, and the last dollar flew out again. This time, the bandit leader did not dare to be careless. He focused his attention on the dollar's trajectory and tried to catch it again. However, Lei Tao's speed and angle were just right. Despite his best efforts, the bandit leader still failed to catch it. The dollar flew through his fingers, and with a "puff", half of the dollar sank into the tree trunk again.

The bandit leader froze in place, his face turning pale and red. The surrounding bandits looked at each other in bewilderment, and the atmosphere became awkward. But Scarface Li, after all, had seen the world, and he quickly composed himself, laughing again. "Great! Great! Brother, I'm impressed by your unique skills!"

He walked forward and patted Lei Tao's shoulder vigorously, his eyes full of admiration: "I, Scarface Li, have made you my friend! I was so abrupt just now that I almost missed my brother's important event."

Lei Tao smiled and clasped his fists in response: "The boss is straightforward! I apologize for any offense just now." As he spoke, he bent down to pick up the dollars on the ground, walked to the big tree, took out a dagger and pried out two dollars on the trunk, turned around and walked to Scarface Li and handed him the three dollars.

Scarface Li was stunned when he saw Lei Tao's behavior. He was about to open his mouth to stop him, but seeing Lei Tao's sincere face, he swallowed the words back.

"Boss, although I am willing to accept the loss of the bet, I gave these dollars to make a friend. Now that I have made a friend, you must accept the money." Lei Tao handed the dollars to Scarface Li with a calm look.

Scarface Li looked at the three shimmering dollars, then at Lei Tao's determined expression. He finally stopped refusing, took the money and put it in his arms. He shook Lei Tao's hands tightly with both hands and said in a bright voice: "Good brother, you are so loyal! From now on, this mountain will be your home. If you need anything, as long as you give an order, I, Scarface Li, and my brothers will never hesitate!"

Lei Tao nodded, feeling the warmth and strength of Scarface Li's palm, and a wave of warmth welled up in his heart. At this time, Chen Feiyang came over and whispered, "Brother Lei, this is the money we saved with great difficulty, and you're just giving it away like this?"

Lei Tao smiled and patted Chen Feiyang on the shoulder, and whispered: "Money is outside of one's body. Being able to exchange for a friend like Scarface Li and the support behind him is much more valuable than a few dollars. In our anti-Japanese cause, we need to unite all the forces that can be united." Chen Feiyang nodded thoughtfully, and there was a bit more respect in his eyes when he looked at Scarface Li.

Meng Xiaoyu stepped forward, his eyes flickering between Lei Tao and Scarface Li. He smiled and said, "It's our honor to meet Scarface Li, the boss. I hope we can work together in the future to drive the devils out of our land."

Upon hearing this, Scarface Li waved his hand and said with great enthusiasm: "Of course! The Japs have committed so many atrocities in our territory and should have been driven out long ago. From now on, whenever it comes to fighting the Japs, count me, Scarface Li, in as a part!" Everyone smiled at each other, and the originally tense atmosphere became harmonious.

At this moment, the sky gradually darkened, and the fog in the mountains and forests became thicker. The faint howling of wolves added a sense of mystery and danger. Lei Tao looked up at the sky and said to Scarface Li, "Boss, it's getting late. The Japanese may catch up at any time. We must hurry."

Scarface Li's expression froze, and he immediately put away his smile. Then he grinned again and said warmly in jargon: "That won't do! Brother, look at the sky, it's almost as dark as ebony. There may be some hidden dangers on the road in the mountains at night. My "gang" (mountain stronghold) is an "iron camp", with a dangerous terrain. "One man can guard the pass against ten thousand men". A few Japanese pursuers are just a "trivial disease", nothing to be afraid of! We brothers finally meet today, we must go to my "doghouse" to have a drink and talk about the world!" After that, he stretched out his big hand and put his arm around Lei Tao's shoulders without saying a word. His enthusiasm was so great that it was hard to refuse.