cicada

Chapter 1478 [Barbecue Preparation 2]

In March 1945, Nagatacho in Tokyo was as noisy as ever, with respectable imported cars passing by the street corner, attracting children to chase after them.

[Bandit] Boatman picked up a rag and wiped the manual refueling pump until it shone. He glanced up and saw someone walking towards him from a distance. He waved and greeted him.

"Good morning, Officer Yokoyama. The weather is really nice today."

Yokoyama responded with a smile. After spending a few days with him, he had to admit that it was hard to dislike this somewhat shy peer.

No matter who you are facing, they always have a warm smile on their face and are happy to help others.

Compared to the aloof shop assistants in other stores, Chuanmu was a true gentleman, making him easy to approach.

Yokoyama walked over to Funaki and asked him about the latest situation in the area. The two chatted and laughed for a while.

After Yokoyama left, the chubby oil shop owner came out of the shop. Watching the police officer's departing figure, he snorted coldly at Funaki.

“My nephew, aren’t you afraid of being found out? If you get caught, you’ll be locked up in jail for a long time.”

Boatwood shrugged, unconcerned, and said, "You're right, but before that, I'll twist your head off. We can make a bet."

The oil shop owner subconsciously touched his neck, feeling a chill in it. Not daring to say anything more, he obediently returned to his shop.

"Didi~~"

At that moment, a car drove into the gas station, the driver honked the horn, and Chuanmu immediately went forward to refuel.

With the help of a manual pressure fuel pump, gasoline was pumped from the underground oil depot into the fuel tank. Although the method was primitive, it was very effective.

With the fuel tank almost full, Funaki turned off the fuel pump, went outside to the wheelhouse, knocked on the window, and announced an astonishing number: "3000 yen, sir."

The same gasoline cost only 30 yen in 1937, but now it costs a hundred times more, which shows the impact of the war on the Japanese economy.

Reluctantly, the driver took out his wallet, counted out a wad of bills, and handed them to Chuanmu. The moment their fingers touched, the driver quickly said something in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"The station chief has ordered us to evacuate by midnight tomorrow night and proceed as planned."

After paying, the driver started the car and sped away. Chuanmu calmly put away the money and glanced out the window.

The owner of the oil depot, who was peering out, gave an awkward smile: "Shipwood, the gasoline in the underground oil depot is running low. Should I notify my partner to send some more?"

As he spoke, he rubbed his fingers together, making a gesture as if counting money, his eyes fixed on the pocket in the boat wood that held the money.

Chuanmu slowly walked to the window, his gaze towards the fat boss filled with amusement. Some people really value money over life.

Under the expectant gaze of the portly boss, he slowly spoke: "Of course, and there's also good news: I'll be leaving tomorrow night."

Just as the fat boss smiled, happy that he was about to regain his freedom, Chuanmu delivered a blow to the man's head.

"However, I won't pay for the gasoline that's delivered."

"What? I'm bankrupt and can't pay for the goods."

The fat boss was really anxious. He didn't care about being scared anymore and immediately started gesturing wildly as he talked about how difficult things were for him.

Chuanmu was too lazy to say anything more to him, and waved his hand, saying, "If you don't have money, you can pay on credit. Since we are partners, I'm sure the other party will understand your difficulties."

These words left the fat boss speechless. He wanted to say more, but faced with Funaki's cold expression, he had no choice but to shut his mouth.

That afternoon, two transport trucks with naval license plates delivered a large quantity of gasoline. The officer in charge of the handover assured them that no matter how much gasoline the supply depot needed, they could get it.

As for credit, the officers readily agreed. No one dared to default on the navy's debts, not even a mere merchant, let alone a locust!
The nearly empty oil depot was refilled. Officer Yokoyama arrived after hearing the news and reminded Funaki and his colleague to be careful with fire.

"Don't worry, Yokoyama-kun, we'll be careful, I promise."

Funaki bowed slightly, and when he looked up, he revealed a mouthful of white teeth, which made Yokoyama a little dizzy.

The following evening, the setting sun bathed Nagata-cho in gold, and the roof tiles reflected the afterglow, as if they were plated with gold.

At dinner, Chuanmu prepared an exceptionally lavish feast as a parting gift for the fat boss.

The fat boss was overjoyed. He sat down, picked up his glass, and drank it all in one gulp. The spicy liquor flowed down his throat and into his stomach, and his face turned bright red.

"Ah, that was really refreshing." The chubby boss smacked his lips and let out a long breath: "Funaki-kun, you're too kind."

"He who takes a man's money is bound to him; he who eats a man's food is bound to him." Although the other party was a robber, he decided to forgive Funaki for the time being, for the sake of the food and drink.

Suddenly, the fat boss put down his wine glass and looked at his motionless nephew with a suspicious expression, wondering if the food and wine were poisoned, otherwise why wasn't Chuanmu eating it.

Funaki answered with his actions, picking up a slice of sashimi and putting it in his mouth, then taking a small sip of sake.

"Haha, it's my fault, I'll punish myself with a drink." The fat boss seemed oblivious to embarrassment, and continued drinking, his face growing redder and redder, making smacking noises as he ate.

This rude behavior displeased Chuanmu, but the fat boss didn't know how to restrain himself, and the smacking sounds he made grew louder and louder.

With a cold expression, Funaki said, "You'll be able to see your wife and children tomorrow. I hope this experience hasn't frightened you, Madam."

As he said this, Funaki put the wine glass in his hand on the table. The streetlights outside illuminated his profile, making him look somewhat sinister.

The fat boss was already drunk, and upon hearing this, he shook his head indifferently, saying it was okay while chewing his food vigorously.

As the sirens sounded outside, curfew time was over. The streetlights flickered a few times and quietly went out, and not a single pedestrian could be seen on the street.

Listening to the sounds outside the door, Chuanmu got up, drew the curtains, and turned on the indoor lights. The fat boss at the table was still eating and drinking heartily.

"Smack smack~"

"Smack smack~~"

Chuanmu casually picked up a pork leg bone from the table and walked step by step behind the fat boss. The silhouettes of the two were reflected on the wall of the room.

The shadow of the boatman raised the bone in his hand high and swung it down forcefully. The fat boss fell heavily to the ground without even uttering a sound, still clutching his chopsticks tightly as he hit the ground.

Thud! Thud. The bone smashed into his head with a dull thud, and blood flowed freely on the ground.

"Damn it, I'll teach you to smack your lips! I'll teach you to smack your lips!"

Chuanmu cursed under his breath in the language of the Republic of China, his hands never stopping. The fat boss gradually stopped breathing, and the chopsticks he was holding slipped from his grasp.

After venting his anger, Chuanmu wiped the blood from his face and began cleaning up the scene.

He should have used a simpler method to achieve his goal, but this guy had served in a pioneering group in Manchukuo and, after making his fortune, returned to Japan and opened this oil supply station. It goes without saying what he did during the Republic of China era.

The Japanese settler group, a group composed of farmers and soldiers stationed in rural areas, acted even more cruelly than the Japanese army, committing countless atrocities.

After hiding the body in the closet, Funaki looked at his watch; the hour hand was stopped at 11 o'clock. He took a backpack from the hiding place and headed to the basement.

While the fat boss's family was having a reunion, the General Staff Headquarters, also located in Nagata-cho, was bustling with noise as generals voiced their opinions, arguing heatedly.

Two hours earlier, a transport plane that had taken off from Shanghai landed at a military airport in Tokyo. Ryosuke Hasegawa hurriedly disembarked and took a car to the General Staff Headquarters.

Upon arriving at the General Staff Headquarters, Hase met with Chief of Staff Yoshijiro Umezu, who had only taken over from Sugiyama Gen and Tojo a few months prior and was still unfamiliar with many tasks.

Upon learning that the head of the Hase Agency had returned to Japan late at night to request an audience with him, Yoshijiro Umezu had a bad feeling, and the outcome was exactly as he expected.

Sweating profusely, Ryosuke Hase walked into the department head's office and immediately reported some bad news with a mournful face. To anyone else, he looked like a loyal subject of the empire.

"Your Excellency! According to reliable intelligence, the Americans are about to launch a large-scale air raid on the Reich!"

Yoshijiro Umezu felt dizzy. Since the start of the war between Japan and the United States, the US military had been launching air raids against Japan without stopping, but this was the first time such a large-scale air raid had occurred.

He quickly asked, "Can you confirm the target, route, time, and number of aircraft in the airstrike?"

"Well..." Hase hesitated for a long time before answering only one question: "The target of the air raid should be Tokyo."

After all, Nobita only provided one piece of information, so he couldn't just make it up. The most important thing now is to deliver the information and leave Tokyo as soon as possible; this place is not safe to stay any longer.

Yoshijiro Umezu glared fiercely at Hase, feeling like he wanted to kill him. What was the difference between this kind of information and nonsense?
If the Americans don't bomb Tokyo, are they going to bomb the fishermen in Hokkaido? Where does the Hase Agency spend its annual budget?

After a moment's thought, he ordered a meeting of all army generals in Tokyo, so that if a bomb fell on the Imperial Palace, he could not be the sole scapegoat.

Before long, the generals who had received the news arrived one after another. Apart from cursing Yoshijiro Umezu in their hearts, these people began to discuss how to deal with the bombing.

At the edge of the crowd, Ryosuke Hase sat there, eyes downcast, seemingly with no intention of getting involved.

But someone was determined to prevent Hase from getting his way. Okamoto Kiyofuku, the Chief of Intelligence of the General Staff Headquarters (section 1300), slammed his fist on the table and shouted his name.

"Hase, why did your men take so long to notice the Americans' unusual movements? You must take full responsibility for this!"

Ryosuke Hase slightly raised his eyelids but didn't speak. Is the head of intelligence so great? In this world, you need connections. What good is a big voice?

Of the people present, eight out of ten had taken money from him. If something happened to him, it would affect the smuggling and reselling business, causing a major earthquake throughout Tokyo.

Sure enough, upon seeing that their benefactor was in trouble, an army lieutenant general immediately jumped out to retaliate, using extremely strong language.

"Baka! Hase-kun's achievements are outstanding, that's a fact known to everyone. I will never allow you to slander a hero who shed blood for the empire like this. Apologize immediately!"

"Apologize!" X 7
Five more major generals and two lieutenant generals stood up at the meeting. Yoshijiro Umezu was dumbfounded, and Kiyofuku Okamoto was so frightened that he turned pale and fell back onto his stool.