The train driver in the courtyard

Li Aiguo is a train driver and also a core member of the weather station.

This weather station isn't a real weather station; it's some kind of cover.

Meteorologists' job is not to observe the weather, but to observe people's hearts.

Li Aiguo's responsibilities are significant, and his role is to serve as a substitute.

On days when he wasn't on assignment, Li Aiguo's task was to drive trains and make some gadgets.

Li Aiguo was delivering some trinkets to the Northwest, thinking it would be a simple mission. However, he unexpectedly discovered dozens of Japanese soldiers' corpses in an underground cave and also caught a rat hiding in the exploration team.

Old Cat said that Li Aiguo has a knack for attracting Dieter; wherever he goes, he can easily seduce Dieter.

Li Aiguo felt wronged. It was clearly those dogs who couldn't help but jump out when they saw him; he was also a victim.

Old Cat felt that Li Aiguo was showing off, but couldn't find a reason to refute him. After smoking two cigarettes, he had someone call Captain Tang Guangwu over.

Tang Guangwu immediately sensed something was wrong when he saw this situation, and his face turned ashen when he learned that Lao Rong was suspected of being Dieter.

The 915 Exploration Team is a top-secret team, and now it has been infiltrated by Dieter.

As the team leader, he is undoubtedly responsible for the consequences.

If Lao Rong were to pass on the intelligence, it could cause irreparable damage.

"Captain Tang, the situation is still unclear, don't be nervous. Lao Rong got in through layers of screening, it has little to do with you. We invited you here now because we think you know Lao Rong well and can help us get him to talk."

Li Aiguo had a good impression of Tang Guangwu and took the initiative to stand up and say something.

These words reassured Tang Guangwu. After a moment of silence, he said resentfully, "Even the most cunning old fox can't outsmart a good hunter."

The three chatted outside the tent for a few minutes. After Li Aiguo and Lao Mao had grasped Lao Rong's basic situation, they went into the tent to interrogate Lao Rong overnight.

Lao Rong is 45 years old this year, but that's his age on file and shouldn't be taken seriously. Li Aiguo thinks he looks to be around 40.

After being captured by Li Aiguo, Lao Rong was handcuffed to a pillar in the center of the tent. After Lao Mao removed the handcuffs, he only raised his eyelids to look at Li Aiguo once, then curled up, lowered his head, hunched over, and remained silent.

In interrogation, this is called the opening. The interrogator urgently needs to obtain a confession, while the interrogated person needs to keep the secret. Both sides are tacitly putting pressure on each other and engaging in a psychological game.

Whichever side is overwhelmed at the beginning will affect the entire interrogation process.

Unlike ordinary prisoners, Dieter, who has committed numerous crimes, is not subject to the concept of leniency for those who confess.

Li Aiguo and the other two didn't say anything, they just stood there watching him.

Five minutes passed just like that.

Ten minutes passed like this.

Fifteen minutes passed just like that.

The tent remained silent.

Suddenly, Lao Rong jerked his body, yelled, and fell heavily to the ground with a thud.

His neck and body first contorted and then opened sharply. His thin body first flared his upper limbs violently up and down, then began to tremble from side to side. His lower limbs, after trembling, became intensely rigid, and his entire body's muscles twitched continuously.

Its facial expression was even more ferocious, with its eyelids rolled back, its eyes white, its eyeballs bulging, and its throat making a hoarse sound, like a broken bellows.

Its mouth suddenly opened wide, then clenched and snapped shut, white foam dripping from the corners of its mouth and pooling on the ground in a disgusting puddle.

Old Rong lay unconscious on the ground, convulsing, as if he had suffered a sudden illness.

Tang Guangwu was startled and shouted, "He must be having an epileptic seizure. Quickly call the medic over."

The two people beside him remained motionless, simply staring coldly at Lao Rong.

Tang Guangwu panicked and didn't know what to do. He wanted to help Lao Rong, but considering Lao Rong's status, he didn't dare to approach him. He then looked at Li Aiguo and said in surprise, "He...he..."

Li Aiguo took out cigarettes from his pocket, handed one to him and one to Lao Mao, and lit one for himself.

Seeing Li Aiguo's appearance, Tang Guangwu was extremely anxious, but he could only stand aside.

And so, the three of them started smoking inside the tent.

As he finished smoking his cigarette, Old Rong on the ground gradually stopped convulsing, but then his legs suddenly kicked out, a choked sound came out of his throat, and finally his body went limp and collapsed to the ground.

"He...he can't be dead, can he?" Tang Guangwu didn't even bother smoking anymore. He threw the cigarette butt on the ground and rushed over to put his finger in front of Lao Rong's nostrils to check.

"He, he's dead!" Tang Guangwu's expression changed drastically. He looked up at Li Aiguo, his expression now panicked. Before they even understood what had happened, the entire exploration team would be implicated.

Old Cat stubbed out his cigarette on his shoe, then casually tossed it on the ground, clapped his hands, and said, "Old Rong, stop pretending. The ground is cold. Get up quickly."

Old Rong remained motionless, like a corpse.

Old Cat was somewhat helpless. He stepped forward, squatted down, first pressed the pulse, then placed his hand on the carotid artery in Li Aiguo's neck, and then shook his head at Li Aiguo: "He is indeed dead."

"Really dead?" Li Aiguo walked over, smoking a cigarette. He pulled his pistol from the holster on his back with his left hand, released the safety, and gently pulled the lever with his right hand. The bullet was chambered with a crisp "click".

Li Aiguo laughed: "How could I not trust a guy who eats human flesh?"

His finger was on the trigger, and he pulled it down hard. With a "bang!", the bullet pierced through Lao Rong's left palm.

Old Rong remained motionless.

Li Aiguo raised his pistol again, pressing the barrel against Lao Rong's right palm, and was about to pull the trigger.

"Patriotism? He's dead. We don't need to."

Before Tang Guangwu could finish speaking, he pulled the trigger again, and with a "bang," his right palm became a bloody mess.

A miracle happened.

Old Rong, who had been lying on the ground, moved slightly.

Tang Guangwu was so shocked that his eyes almost popped out. In fact, he had initially suspected that Lao Rong was faking his death, because such an important figure could not have died inexplicably.

But when he saw that Lao Rong had been shot, he completely believed it.

No one can withstand a bullet without making a sound; this is beyond the effect that camouflage can achieve.

However, Lao Rong's act was so convincing that he completely fooled him. Tang Guangwu watched coldly as Lao Rong's lips twitched as he endured the pain and got up from the ground.

Old Rong, having been shot twice, was in unbearable pain. He hissed, wiped the foam from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, and said with a wry smile, "How did you know I was faking death?"

"I don't know. Even if I'm wrong, it's just a waste of a few bullets. Why not?" Li Aiguo put his pistol back in his waistband and lit another cigarette.

Upon hearing this answer, Lao Rong was stunned for a moment.

He studied under the Iga school and obtained the secret manual of Kumanoji Temple. After decades of hard work, he mastered the art of feigning death. Although he could not bring the dead back to life as in the legends, he could make himself look like a dead person without any facial features.

He used this technique to avoid many dangers back then, but he never expected it to be cracked so easily.

Li Aiguo had read the data at the weather station and knew that some of the high-ranking Ditt had received training in infiltration and assassination, disguise and modification, firearms and drug skills, cross-country swimming, climbing and leaping before coming here, but he didn't pay any attention to it.

Only the guys on small islands like to do this kind of petty stuff.

They forgot one thing: all fancy tricks are useless in the face of real power!
Times have changed. It's pathetic that these guys still cling to those things like they're treasures.

"Could you bandage me up? I think I've lost quite a bit of blood." Old Rong panicked a little after his proud specialty was exposed, but he recovered in the blink of an eye and didn't treat himself like a prisoner. Li Aiguo had never seen anyone change so quickly.

"Don't worry, you won't die that easily." Li Aiguo walked up to him and looked down at him. "If I'm not mistaken, you're Nojiri, who escaped from the cave, right?"

"What wild ass?"

Seeing that Lao Rong still wanted to argue, Li Aiguo only said one sentence: "You should understand your situation. Any resistance will only result in a merciless blow. If you want to leave yourself with the most basic dignity, then don't waste my time."

Old Rong remained silent for a full five minutes, his face displaying a variety of expressions, before letting out a long sigh: "That's right, I am Nojiri, the captain of Rong 312 Exploration Team, responsible for protecting those exploration team members."

“But you ate them.” Although Old Cat didn’t like those Japanese soldiers, he also felt that Old Rong had gone too far and couldn’t help but say.

To Lao Gui's surprise, Lao Rong actually told the truth.

"I did eat people."

Instead of feeling guilty, he proudly puffed out his chest.

"For the glory of the empire, I have no other choice. They will die sooner or later, and it is their honor to contribute their last bit of strength to the empire."

The fanaticism on his face was chilling, and Old Cat immediately realized that this man was a true fanatic.

These are the most difficult people to deal with; their minds have been corrupted by militaristic theories, and they have long since lost all conscience.

Li Aiguo gave Lao Mao a wink, and after Lao Mao picked up the notebook, he said, "Lao Rong, no, I should call you Captain Nojiri. Now you have two choices. One is to shut your mouth and not reveal anything, and then we'll find a place to bury you and let you rot in obscurity."

Old Rong's expression changed slightly, and his eyes dimmed.

"The other option is to confess everything. We will expose your affairs, and maybe your Tianhuang will even see your name in the newspaper."

Upon hearing this, Lao Rong's eyes blazed with renewed fervor: "Tianhuang really knows my name?"

"A guy who ate dozens of people, his name should be in the newspapers," Li Aiguo said calmly.

For most people, this would be extremely shameful, but these people think differently from others; for them, the end of time is everything.

"Okay, I promise you!" Old Rong nodded emphatically: "Could you give me a cigarette?"

Li Aiguo handed him a cigarette, looked at his hands, and could only put the cigarette in his mouth.

After Lao Rong finished his cigarette, he started working. Li Aiguo asked Lao Mao to take notes, and he took out a list of questions he had prepared in advance.

"Name."

"Nojiri Masakawa!"

"Place of origin."

Shizuoka Prefecture

Nojiri's situation was similar to Colonel Watanabe's; both were influenced by militarism and regarded becoming an officer at a military academy as their ultimate dream.

However, it is clear that he was not very talented. He was 21 years old when he was admitted to the Army Officer Academy. He then came here and joined Colonel Watanabe's regiment as his deputy.

Nojiri's account was similar to what was recorded in Colonel Watanabe's diary: the Sakae 312 exploration team had been slow to make progress and had been cut off from supplies due to the war.

So Nojiri came up with the idea of ​​using people as military rations.

“I first picked a young man from the exploration team. I remember that young man was just twenty years old and from the same hometown as me. I took him out hunting, and after we left the cave, I shot him in the back. Then I brought him back to the cave.”

"I lied and said the young man had an accident, and that I brought back wolf meat."

Nojiri suddenly burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, I really went to all that trouble. How could those guys not tell? How could they not tell? It's obvious, hahahaha!"

"They all know what it is. They're all monsters, just like me, even that professor who's always spouting platitudes about morality." Nojiri stopped laughing when he was tired of it all. He wiped away his tears and snot with his sleeve and then said:
"The rest was easy, and I didn't need to go out anymore."

"No resistance?" Tang Guangwu was somewhat puzzled.

“Everyone knows there’s no food outside. They’ll help me.”

Nojiri laughed, and the laugh looked really lewd and eerie.

"Do you know that this thing also requires skill?"

Tang Guangwu shook his head.

The old cat replied, "Isn't it like the story of Butcher Ding carving up an ox—practice makes perfect?"

Nojiri frowned and said unhappily, "How can you compare that thing to livestock? Don't talk nonsense if you don't know."

Nojiri said with a look of rapture, "This is a great art."

As Nojiri spoke, he kept gesturing various curves with his hands.

Li Aiguo interrupted him.

"Speak the key."

Nojiri felt that Li Aiguo did not understand art, which was a bit of a pity, but when she met Li Aiguo's cold gaze, she could only sit up straight.

"First the members of the exploration team, then the soldiers."

Li Aiguo nodded. This also explains why some of them were kept in iron cages—it was for storage.

Why is the other part better preserved?

"We originally planned to hold out until the situation improved before sending someone out to make contact with people outside and continue the exploration mission to find uranium deposits. But Colonel Watanabe received a fake telegram that said Tenkō had announced his unconditional surrender!"

“They have indeed surrendered,” Tang Guangwu reminded him, frowning.

"Baka! Impossible!" Nojiri tried to stand up, but the intense pain caused by his hands pressing on the ground made him gasp and he could only squat down.

Even so, he still spat as he spoke, "The Empire is invincible! The Bushido spirit will make us fight to the last man! How could we possibly surrender?! This must be your conspiracy, a forged telegram, trying to break our will!"

"You've been with the exploration team for so long, how could you not understand the history of that time?" Tang Guangwu asked, puzzled.

"It's fake, it's all fake."

Tang Guangwu was about to explain when Li Aiguo stopped him.

Even if you brought Tianhuang here and chopped off his head in front of him, this guy with a brain fried would definitely think it was just a fake Tianhuang.

Nojiri struggled a few times, his eyes filled with a crazed stubbornness: "Colonel Watanabe is a fool! He actually believed in such a despicable trick and decided to die in the line of duty! I am a soldier loyal to His Majesty Tenkō, and even if I starve to death or die in battle, I will never believe such an absurd lie!"

"Is this why you didn't follow Colonel Watanabe's orders to commit suicide, but instead escaped from the cave?" Li Aiguo's voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.

Nojiri stiffened, then nodded reluctantly: "Although the exploration team didn't find any uranium ore, they did hide a large amount of exploration data and equipment. If we send it back, it will be of great help to the Empire's cause."

So, following Colonel Watanabe's orders, I first took Muto-kun to deal with the remaining men, then modified the explosives and sealed the entrance to the cave.

"Muto-kun, is that the one who committed suicide at the cave entrance? Then who is the other one?"

"It was food. Considering the lack of food in the Gobi Desert, I originally planned to bring some fresh ingredients with me on the way. But that guy Muto actually went soft-hearted and gave the ingredients a quick death. He even committed suicide himself. I had no choice but to tear off my two arms and escape from the cave."

“With those two arms, I crossed the Gobi Desert. At that time, you people hadn’t arrived yet, and the local administration was quite chaotic. I ran all the way to the south.”

"When I got there, I learned the truth of the whole thing: Tianhuang was deceived into surrendering. As long as he raises his arms, we will sweep back again."

Hearing this, Old Cat stroked his chin. He had seen many fanatics, but this was the first time he had ever seen one so fanatical.

Nojiri continued, "So I plan to find an opportunity to go back there and remind His Majesty Tenko!"

"To accomplish this, you forged your birth certificate?" Li Aiguo asked a crucial question.

Nojiri is no longer important; the most crucial question is whether she received help from others during her time joining the exploration team.

Nojiri nodded: "Back then, those people were very disorganized. With just a few small yellow croakers, I got the information of a geologist who was being transferred. I waited on his usual route and killed him with one blow. After that, I got a teaching position by virtue of that identity."

Later, those people retreated, and your exploration team urgently needed talent. I worked at Rong 312 for many years and even studied with those professors, so I quickly passed the review.”

At this point, Nojiri paused for a moment and said with a wry smile, "After learning that the 915 Exploration Team had been formed, I realized that my opportunity had come. By returning here, I would have a chance to bring out the things in the cave and leave. I just didn't expect that idiot Liu Tianquan would fall into the cave and ruin my efforts."

The whole thing is now very clear.

Old Cat wrote Nojiri's last words in his notebook, glanced at him, and said, "Your Tianhuang has indeed surrendered."

"Hmph!" Nojiri grunted, ignoring the old cat, and instead looked at Li Aiguo: "I hope you can keep your promise and publish my story in the newspaper."

"Don't worry, I will grant your wish." Li Aiguo readily agreed.

People like Nojiri are living fossils of fanaticism, which allows the family to see clearly what happened in the past and delivers a heavy blow to the stubborn elements on the Japanese side.

Then the old cat called the weatherman to tie up Nojiri tightly, preparing to send him for treatment.

Even if it's necessary to force him at gunpoint, there must be a trial first; he can't die before that.

Nojiri suddenly struggled twice and asked a question that had been hidden in his heart for many days: "Comrade Patriot, we have been exploring in the cave for several years and have not found any uranium ore. Could it be that, as you analyzed last time, the uranium ore is hidden in the sandstone below?"

“That’s called sandstone uranium ore,” Li Aiguo nodded.

Nojiri was jolted by these words. All their years of effort had been in vain; the real uranium ore was not hidden in the granite.

He took a deep breath and asked another question: "How large is this uranium mine?"

"It's hard to say right now, but I estimate it should be over a million tons," Li Aiguo replied casually.

What does it mean to kill someone by destroying their spirit?
That’s it!

"I never imagined that a million-ton uranium mine would be right under our feet, hahaha. Foolish!" Nojiri was silent for a moment, then burst into maniacal laughter.

They put in years of effort.

They paid the price with dozens of lives.

As it turns out, the actual uranium mine might only be a few dozen meters away from them.

This result was hard for Nojiri to accept.

What's even harder to accept is that if a million-ton uranium deposit is successfully discovered here, it will create a giant mushroom cloud.

Introduction time.

The empire faces numerous difficulties in making a comeback.

Old Cat didn't tolerate Wild Buttocks either, stuffing a strip of cloth into his mouth and ordering him to be dragged out and kept under guard.

When the specialist from the weather station arrives, he will take the data back with him.

Old Cat went to arrange the guard duties, and Captain Tang Guangwu handed Li Aiguo a cigarette: "Aiguo, you weren't lying to Nojiri just now, were you? There really is a million-ton uranium mine down there?"

It's incredible that there are millions of tons of uranium deposits that have been discovered in China so far.

"Don't worry, we're sure to make a big splash this time." Li Aiguo patted Tang Guangwu on the shoulder.

Tang Guangwu nodded emphatically.

It was past 2 a.m. when Li Aiguo stepped out of the tent.

The big guy was waiting not far away. When he saw him come out, he quickly came over.

"Comrade Patriot, is Lao Rong really a Japanese devil?"

“It’s been confirmed, he is Nojiri.” Li Aiguo nodded.

The big man's face turned ashen with fear at the thought that he was living in a tent with a Japanese soldier, a cannibalistic one at that.

"Big guy, you did a great job on this mission. When you get back, write a report about Lao Rong and give it to Team Leader Cat." Li Aiguo nodded to him and left.

As the tall figure disappeared into the distance, the fear in the big man's heart gradually dissipated.

Yes, they took down Nojiri with just a simple plan. What do these exploration team members have to worry about?
Li Aiguo returned to the tent, whereupon the wild car expert woke up, rubbed his eyes, and asked, "Aiguo, have you taken care of your business?"

"It's all taken care of, go to sleep."

Li Aiguo lay down, listening to the howling wind outside, and fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, the exploration team members were summoned for a meeting as soon as they got up.

When Lao Mao publicly announced Lao Rong's true identity, the group instantly erupted in chaos.

"Japanese cannibals?!"

"Last year, when we were surveying a landslide area, we were trapped in a crevice in the rocks and spent the night together."

"Old Rong has made roast chicken for me before."

Several team members who were close to Lao Rong looked particularly grim, wondering if they had leaked secrets.

Only the big guy remained relatively calm; after all, he had done a good job.

Captain Tang Guangwu stepped forward and made a self-criticism.

Seeing the team members discussing the matter, Li Aiguo immediately defined the nature of the incident.

"The reason this happened in the exploration team was because the exploration work was in dire need of manpower and the situation was chaotic at the time, and it had nothing to do with the exploration team itself."

Li Aiguo wasn't defending the exploration team and the surveying department. Nojiri had already disguised himself before liberation, so even a thorough investigation wouldn't uncover any clues.

Old Cat nodded in agreement with Li Aiguo's opinion and continued, "The whole matter is still under investigation. Everyone can think about what's unusual about Lao Rong and write it down and submit it to me directly."

After the meeting, the exploration team members returned to their tents to write reports, while Li Aiguo led a few people to the crevice to begin planning the exploration work.

The team members racked their brains to recall any unusual behavior from Lao Rong.

Old Cat found no trace of anyone helping Old Rong, so he reported the whole thing to the weather station.

The farmer was overjoyed; Old Rong was now proof that he was still alive.

The case is temporarily closed; we will conduct a more detailed investigation back at the weather station.

Two days later, the geological exploration drilling rig arrived at the drilling site under the escort of the guard squad.

Li Aiguo stood below, watching Tang Guangwu plant a red flag above the drilling rig, and clapped his hands: "Get some rest early today, drilling will begin tomorrow!"

(End of this chapter)