The Mysterious Soldier of the Anti-Japanese War

Chapter 322: The dispute over talent transfer documents, the "Netherworld" Japanese specia

The strong smell of blood, mixed with the scent of damp earth, lingered in the forest. Kazuya Uesugami stood beside a stout fir tree, his gaze fixed coldly on Zhu Erba, who had just regained consciousness and was struggling to stand. He loathed the bandit leader to the core, but the situation was so chaotic that he could only suppress his emotions. Kazuya Uesugami's fingers tapped the butt of his rifle, making a rhythmic "click-click" sound. The sound was particularly clear in the silent forest, and it carried a chilling meaning.

He leaned down slightly, moving closer to Zhu Erba, his voice deliberately lowered, each word laced with threat: "Don't talk nonsense. We're safe for now, but those 'Netherworld' guys won't give up and will soon catch up." At the mention of "Netherworld," Kazuya Uesugi's eyelids twitched imperceptibly, a flicker of fear in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by ferocity. He paused, straightened up, and folded his arms across his chest, looking down at Zhu Erba. He continued, "Zhu-san, you swore before that you would agree to my conditions. You better not be lying." Kazuya Uesugi's lips curled up slightly, forming an icy arc, like the cold moon on a cold night. "Otherwise, the 'Netherworld''s' methods are terrifying, but mine will definitely make you feel worse than death." He deliberately emphasized the word "methods," making the sense of threat in the air even more intense, as if it could condense into frost.

When Zhu Erba heard what Shangshan Kazuya said, his heart suddenly "skipped", as if hit by a heavy hammer. His face turned pale and red, the red was shame and anger, the white was fear. He swallowed hard, his throat was dry as if it had been polished by sandpaper, and forced a smile that was uglier than crying, and said: "Mr. Shangshan, don't worry, although I, Zhu Erba, am a bandit, I always keep my word. What I promised you before will definitely count. It's just..." Zhu Erba hesitated, and a trace of worry flashed in his eyes, like a meteor across the night sky, fleeting, "This 'Netherworld' is not easy to deal with. What should we do next?"

Uesugi Kazuya snorted coldly, his breath dripping with disdain. "Zhu-san, you just need to do what you're supposed to do. As for the Netherworld, I have my own way of dealing with it." He turned and gazed into the distance, where the mountains loomed in the mist, as if he were lost in thought. After a moment, he turned back, his gaze fixed on Zhu Erba like a knife. "Contact your men immediately and have them investigate the whereabouts of that document and the Netherworld's movements. Remember, if you dare to conceal anything or delay anything, you know the consequences, and I won't let you off easily."

Note: It turns out that this document is a talent transfer plan. This document was originally brought back to Chongqing from Nanjing by a senior officer of the National Security Bureau, but was intercepted and hunted by Kazuya Uesugi's commando team halfway. Later, the document fell into the hands of the previous mayor at some point, causing the previous mayor to be killed. So Kazuya Uesugi tracked down the plan document.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Erba nodded hurriedly, his eyes filled with fear and resignation. He didn't dare hesitate for a moment, repeatedly saying, "Don't worry, Mr. Shangshan. I'll contact them right away." He gritted his teeth, enduring the aching pain that rippled through his body. Every muscle protested, and with both hands, he struggled to his feet. He wiped the sweat and dust from his face with one hand, then deftly reached into his bosom, pulling out a pristine osprey whistle. The whistle had a worn patina, its age evident. Simple patterns were engraved on it, perhaps holding secrets unique to him and his men, each a footnote to their past.

Zhu Erba then scurried to a stout tree and, using both hands and feet, scrambled up with ease. The rough bark rubbed his palms, but he paid no mind. He found a branch with a clear view and a secluded view, sat down firmly, and took a deep breath, calming his rapid breathing, his chest rising and falling violently. Then, he placed the osprey whistle to his lips and began to blow rhythmically.

The whistle pierced the silence of the forest, sharp and long, echoing through the valley. Every pause and pause seemed to hold a secret, like Morse code, conveying a message only they could understand. This whistle was a special communication signal he and his men had agreed upon. In the past, whenever there was an emergency on the mountain, they relied on this whistle to convey news and dispatch personnel. Now, he prayed with all his heart that his men could hear him, and that they would respond smoothly and bring back useful information.

After a long while, the valley remained dead silent, with only the lingering sound of the whistle lingering, as if a lonely traveler were expressing his loneliness. Zhu Erba's brow furrowed deeper and deeper, and the hand holding the Osprey whistle began to tremble slightly. He had a vague feeling of foreboding, like the depression before a storm.

Just when Zhu Erba was about to blow the whistle again, a slight noise suddenly came from the bushes not far away. He instantly became alert, stopped blowing the whistle, and stared at the direction of the sound, not daring to breathe, his heart beating wildly in his chest. Seeing a hare scurrying out from the bushes, Zhu Erba breathed a sigh of relief, and his tense nerves relaxed a little. Just as he was about to continue blowing the whistle, he heard a faint sound of footsteps, and it sounded like more than one person. His heart was hanging again, as if being grabbed by an invisible hand. He lay on the tree branch, trying his best to keep his body unnoticed, and even breathing very lightly.

The footsteps grew closer, and Zhu Erba finally saw who was coming. It was none other than his men. He nearly cried out in excitement, and blew his whistle a few more times as confirmation, his whistles filled with undisguised joy. The men quickened their pace, running to the tree. They looked up and saw Zhu Erba, their faces lit with surprise. "Brother, we finally found you!" one of the tall, thin men shouted, his voice tinged with relief at having survived.

Zhu Erba quickly climbed down from the tree and asked anxiously, "Why did you come so late? What about the information I asked you to find out? What about the mayor's daughter we kidnapped earlier? Did she tell us anything useful?"

The tall, thin subordinate swallowed, his eyes dodging for a moment, and whispered, "Brother, that girl was really stubborn. She refused to say anything at first. We threatened to sell her to a brothel, but she just glared at us fiercely. Later, we locked her up in a dark and damp cave and deprived her of food, and only then did she loosen up a bit."

Zhu Erba stopped dead in his tracks, stepped forward, grabbed the lanky man by the collar, and glared at him. "Let go? What did you say? Tell me now!" The lanky man coughed a few times as he was strangled, and spoke with difficulty. "She...she said that the document was very important to all of Chongqing, and told us not to have any wishful thinking. She also said that 'Youming' would definitely catch us all in one fell swoop."

Zhu Erba uttered a "Pah!" and pushed the tall, thin man away, cursing, "That's it? She even needs to tell me that? Don't I know how difficult 'Youming' is? What about the specific whereabouts of the document? Did she tell me?"

The short, fat subordinate came over and said cautiously, "Brother, we questioned her for a long time, and she just mumbled something, saying that the documents were hidden in a place in the study that even her father didn't know about. When we asked her again, she fell silent again. No matter how much we beat or scolded her, it was useless."

Zhu Erba scratched his hair irritably, turned around and looked at the silent Uesugi Kazuya, with a look of help on his face: "Mr. Uesugi, look at this..." Uesugi Kazuya's face was so gloomy that it seemed as if water could drip out. He snorted coldly: "A bunch of idiots who can't even deal with a woman. We must get the documents tonight. If anything goes wrong again, you can wait to be buried with me!"

The tall, thin subordinate shuddered at the look in Uesugi Kazuya's eyes and stammered, "Mr. Uesugi, we know the thing is hidden in the study, but it's probably being watched by the Netherworld, so it's difficult to get it."

Kazuya Kamisama frowned, paced back and forth, thought for a moment and said: "No matter how difficult it is, we must get the documents. Zhu Sang, you arrange your men and take action tonight. I will assist you secretly. If anything goes wrong, you know the consequences." His voice was low and cold, like a sharp knife, hanging over everyone's head.

Although Zhu Erba was somewhat reluctant, he did not dare to disobey Uesugi Kazuya's order and could only nod in agreement. He turned to his men and said, "You all heard it, everyone, get ready tonight. If we mess up, no one will survive!" His voice was filled with a sense of determination.

The men nodded, their faces filled with nervousness and unease, as if they were about to fight a battle to the death. Zhu Erba explained some more details of the operation, and then the group found a secluded spot in the mountains and forests and waited for nightfall. Darkness slowly descended like a huge curtain, enveloping them.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Dazhuhe Town, Yi Guang was hurriedly heading towards the Military Control Commission's liaison station. His expression was solemn, and every step was filled with anxiety. Arriving at the station, he quickly entered and said, "We, 'Youming,' were tasked by the mayor of Dazhuhe Town to suppress bandits. We discovered Japanese spies during our investigation. Captain Lei ordered me to find Captain Xu of your operations team and bring him to deal with them."

Upon hearing this, the Military Control Commission liaison station's expression suddenly changed, and they immediately called the Chongqing Military Control Commission station to explain the situation. On the other end of the line, upon learning of the situation, Xu Keming's brows knitted together, and he complained unhappily, "How come Lei Tao is so lucky? We've been searching for so long and can't find any trace of the Japanese spies, and yet, he's out once, and his men take on a bandit suppression job, and when he returns, he discovers a bandit armed group implicated by the Japanese spies..."

The operator at the Military Control Commission's liaison station held the phone receiver, his expression growing increasingly serious. He listened to Xu Keming's complaints from Chongqing, occasionally glancing at Yi Guang from the corner of his eye. After Xu Keming finished speaking, he quickly replied, "Yes, yes, Captain Xu, I've got that down." He then hung up the phone and turned to Yi Guang, saying, "Mr. Yi, Captain Xu said he'll arrange for someone right away, but they won't arrive in Dazhuhe Town until tomorrow morning at the earliest. Please keep a close eye on the movements of the Japanese spies and bandits with the 'Netherworld' squad."

Yi Guang frowned slightly. Though he felt a little anxious, he also understood that the Military Control Commission's operation would require the deployment of resources and would not be able to respond immediately. He nodded and said, "Okay, then please hurry up. These Japanese spies and bandits are colluding with each other to plot something. If they succeed, the consequences will be disastrous." With that, Yi Guang turned to leave. Just as he reached the door, he seemed to remember something and turned back to warn, "Also, Captain Xu, please be sure to be careful on your way here. The Japanese spies and bandits are no doubt prepared."