The War of Resistance Against Japan: Starting with a Calm View of Life and Death

The night was darker than the first half of the night, and the wind was colder and harsher, feeling like a dull knife cutting into your face.

There was no moon in the sky, only a few sparse stars, their light too faint to illuminate the potholed streets.

The two moved quickly and silently along the base of the wall.

I was more vigilant this time than the previous two times. I peeked out at every corner to make sure there was no movement before proceeding.

West Street was like a sleeping dead snake, with only the occasional weak bark of a dog coming from afar.

Soon, they reached the entrance to Cat Alley. The alley was as black as if ink had been spilled, and they could only barely make out the outlines of the piles of objects under their feet.

The two walked one after the other, their steps extremely light, almost touching the ground with their toes first and then slowly lowering their heels to avoid stepping on loose bricks or trash and making a sound.

The strong smell of decay filled their nostrils, making them want to frown, but they both held back, even controlling their breathing to be slow and light.

They found a gap in the low wall of the third dilapidated courtyard and climbed over like cats.

It was darker inside the yard than outside, and the wild grass rustled softly underfoot.

They didn't stop, but went straight to the back of the yard and found the narrow alleyway filled with broken bricks and tiles.

The passageway was narrow, and the two could only move sideways, inching their way in.

The broken bricks and tiles underfoot inevitably made a soft, clattering sound, which sounded particularly jarring in the quiet night.

Zhou Jindong gestured for Wang Quan to stop, then took off his worn-out cloth shoes, stuffed them into his clothes, and stepped barefoot on the ground.

The cold touch made him shiver, but his footing immediately became much more stable, and he almost stopped making a sound.

Wang Quan paused for a moment, then followed suit and took off his shoes.

This is much better. The two of them walked barefoot on the cold, dusty broken bricks and tiles, inching their way to the other end of the alley.

The soles of their feet were soon painfully poked, and a chilling coldness shot up from their feet, but no one uttered a sound.

As Zhou Jindong approached the collapsed pile of mud bricks at the end of the alley, he stopped and listened intently. The opposite side was quiet, save for the sound of the wind.

He gestured for Wang Quan to stay where he was, and then, like a gecko, he clung tightly to the cold adobe bricks, slowly poking his head out to look at the rammed earth wall diagonally opposite.

The top of the wall was dark, but you could see its jagged outline.

The courtyard remained deathly silent, the three side rooms resembling three crouching behemoths.

The faint wisp of heat that could be seen from the chimney of the east wing during the day has disappeared, probably because the fire in the stove has gone out.

His gaze swept towards the street. The entrance to the side alley was just a dozen steps to his left and slightly ahead; that was where the sentry was hiding.

At this moment, the alley entrance was also dark, and no one could be seen, but Zhou Jindong knew that the person was there, lurking like a venomous snake, watching the direction of the street ahead.

The night grew colder, and the wind whistled through the wall, just enough to mask their barely audible breathing.

Zhou Jindong turned his head back and made a "wait" gesture to Wang Quan.

They squatted down behind the pile of adobe bricks at the end of the alley, leaning against the cold, damp earthen wall, motionless.

Time passed slowly. Zhou Jindong took out his pocket watch again, bringing it so close to his eyes that he could barely see the dial; the hour hand pointed to three o'clock.

The end of the hour of Chou (1-3 AM) and the beginning of the hour of Yin (3-5 AM). These are the times when people are most tired and the sky is darkest.

In the distance, the faint sound of the night watchman striking his clapper could be heard; it was the fourth watch of the night.

After the gong sounded, the night seemed even quieter and deeper.

From the side alley came a suppressed yawn. It wasn't loud, but it was clearly audible in the silence.

Immediately following was a slight rustling sound of clothing, as if someone had changed their squatting position.

Zhou Jindong perked up and gently nudged Wang Quan.

Just then, footsteps came from the direction of the front street in the distance.

It wasn't just one person, but the footsteps of two, clattering and pattering, neither fast nor deliberately soft, making a soft, rustling sound on the cold dirt road, growing closer and closer.

Zhou Jindong's heart leaped into his throat. Who would come here so late?

The footsteps went straight toward the front door of the grocery store and then stopped near the entrance of a side alley.

A rough, grating voice rang out, laced with obvious impatience: "Lai Tou San! Lai Tou San! Are you dead yet?"

Zhou Jindong peered out through the cracks in the adobe bricks. In the dim light, he could see two figures standing at the intersection of the main street and the side alley.

One of them appears to be carrying an earthenware pot, while the other is empty-handed.

From deep within the side alley came a somewhat muffled voice, heavy with sleepiness: "Who is it... wailing like a mourner..."

"You're the one wailing like a baby!" the man carrying the earthenware pot cursed. "Master Zhang was worried about you bunch of good-for-nothings working hard on the night watch, so he sent me over with some hot soup to warm you up! Come and get it! I'm freezing!"

Zhou Jindong immediately understood. The delivery of the "second midnight snack" had arrived!

It came later than expected, but it did eventually. For him and Wang Quan, it was an obstacle, but it could also be an opportunity.

A rustling sound came from the side alley. The sentry, also known as "Bastard Three," probably stood up from where he was squatting and walked towards the alley entrance.

A blurry, dark figure appeared at the alley entrance and took the earthenware pot. "Thanks, Master Zhang... It's damn cold..."

"Stop talking nonsense and drink up. Once you're done, wake up before the enemy sneaks in and cuts your head off!" the soup delivery man cursed.

"Bullshit..." the bald man muttered under his breath, picked up the earthenware pot, and turned to walk back.

Just then, the one of the two who was carrying the soup, who was empty-handed, suddenly spoke up, his voice slightly shrill: "Wait."

Lai Tou San stopped in his tracks.

The empty-handed man leaned forward and whispered, "Boss Jin just got word that there might be some unfamiliar faces infiltrating the city. Tell all the lookouts at the intersections to be on high alert, especially here. If you see anything suspicious, signal immediately. We've sent an extra plainclothes guy over to Old Wu's place at the west end of the street."

Lai Tou San seemed taken aback for a moment: "A new face? Who's the big shot? How many people are with them?"

"I'm not sure, just say maybe. Anyway, keep a close eye on things. You're lucky with this pot of soup, hurry up." After saying that, the empty-handed man patted Lai Tou San on the shoulder, then turned and walked away with the man carrying the earthenware pot. The footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Lai Tou San, carrying an earthenware pot, stood at the alley entrance for a few seconds before cursing and retreating into the depths of the side alley.

Soon, the sound of him slurping his soup could be heard.

Zhou Jindong lay prone behind the adobe bricks, his palms slightly sweaty.

Could there be unfamiliar faces in the city? Did someone discover his and Wang Quan's whereabouts, or did the Japanese and traitors hear something?

However, judging from the reactions of those two people just now, it seems that it was only a kind of uncertain vigilance.

Now that Lai Tou San has received a warning, he will definitely be more vigilant.

But since they had just served him hot soup, the warmth in his stomach, combined with the stimulation of the heat in the freezing cold, actually made him more prone to drowsiness, especially in the latter half of the night.

The tension brought on by the warning sometimes doesn't last long and is overwhelmed by physical fatigue.

We must take advantage of his brief moment of relaxation after drinking the soup!

He turned his head and looked at Wang Quan in the darkness, saying in a voice so low it was almost inaudible, "He might be a little dazed after he finishes the soup. I'll go around to him and touch him from behind."

"You stay at the other end of the alley and wait for me to succeed, then come and meet me immediately. If I fail, run deeper into Cat Alley, don't worry about me, and find a way out of the city."

Wang Quan shook his head vigorously in the darkness, as if trying to say something, but Zhou Jindong squeezed his arm with a heavy force, carrying an unquestionable command.

Wang Quan stopped shaking his head, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he nodded emphatically.

Zhou Jindong stopped talking and began to move. He gently placed the satchel and the bag of gun parts on his back in a dry corner, then placed the bamboo pole against the wall, leaving only a personal dagger and two hand grenades on his person.

He drew the dagger from its sheath without the harsh sound of metal scraping together, because he had repeatedly sharpened and polished it with a cloth under the oil lamp.

The cold blade gleamed with an almost invisible glimmer in the darkness.

He bit the back of the dagger with his teeth, freeing his hands to reduce the sound of the dagger accidentally hitting something while moving.

Then, he moved slowly to the left, clinging to the pile of adobe bricks like a real shadow.

He had to take a long detour, meandering along the edge of the wasteland on the other side of the grocery store. It was a distance from the side alley entrance and was filled with debris and collapsed low walls, making it easy to approach from a concealed position.

During the day, he and Wang Quan had observed the terrain from a distance.

The cold, rough ground rubbed against his bare feet, the edges of the gravel and broken bricks like knives.

He seemed oblivious to the pain, his movements fluid and silent, carefully sensing each step he took and avoiding any debris that might make a sound.

The night wind, like ice water, poured over his face and body, but he felt even more clear-headed.

It took him about fifteen minutes to walk around. Finally, he approached the other end of the side alley—the end of a dead end, piled with broken furniture and rotten planks, emitting a strong musty smell.

From here, you can see the interior of the side alley at an angle.

The alley was still dark, but it was a little clearer than when we were behind the mud bricks.

A blurry figure was crouching against the wall, the very spot that Lao Meng had observed during the day.

The person had their back to the alley entrance, facing the street, their neck hunched, and a dark object lay on the ground, probably the earthenware pot. The figure occasionally moved, seemingly smacking their lips.

He finished drinking.

Zhou Jindong waited patiently, like a lifeless stone.

He had to wait, until the person relaxed briefly because of the warmth, or until the moment when the person moved their body again, adjusted their posture, and lost focus due to boredom and drowsiness.

Time ticked by, second by second. The wind seemed to have died down a bit, and the surroundings were so quiet you could hear your own blood flowing. The dark figure in the alley remained motionless for a long time, as if asleep.

Zhou Jindong calculated in his mind. He'd have to wait another thirty counts.

He silently counted, one, two, three...

When the count reached twenty-five, the dark figure suddenly moved, raised a hand as if rubbing its eyes, and then changed its posture. It was no longer squatting completely, but half-leaning against the wall, with its head tilted to one side.

opportunity!

Without further hesitation, Zhou Jindong, like a taut bow suddenly released, pressed himself against the wall on the other side of the alley and pounced on the dark figure with incredible speed and without making a sound.

He walked almost silently on the ground, his movements as swift as a stalking leopard.

The distance rapidly decreased. Five steps, four steps, three steps...

Just as Zhou Jindong was about to take a step behind the other party, and the dagger was already raised, ready to stab the carotid artery, the shadowy figure sitting back suddenly turned his head without warning!

He wasn't sleepy, he was alert! His previous action was a feint!

The shadowy figure's face remained blurry in the extremely close darkness, but Zhou Jindong could see the eyes that suddenly widened, filled with horror and a sudden burst of ferocity.

This guy wasn't asleep at all. His yawning and sleepiness just now were all fake, and even drinking the soup was probably just for show!

Everything happened too fast.

The shadowy figure reacted extremely quickly. He didn't shout, because shouting would reveal his location, and it might not be fast enough. His right hand suddenly reached for his waist, where it was bulging, clearly indicating that he was carrying something!

Zhou Jindong's dagger had no time to change its attack; the throat-slitting route he had calculated was ruined by the opponent's sudden turn.

In a flash, he abandoned the knife, his momentum undiminished, and slammed into the other man's arms!

With a muffled thud, the two collided. Zhou Jindong's shoulder slammed solidly into the other man's chest!

The muffled thud sounded particularly heavy in the quiet alley, like something heavy had hit the earthen wall.

Lai Tou San never expected that someone would pounce from the side and rear, from the direction of the almost dead-end alley exit.

Zhou Jindong used all his strength in that collision, his shoulder slamming into Zhou's chest, sending him flying off the ground and his back slamming heavily against the rammed earth wall.

The earthenware pot crashed to the ground and shattered, spilling the remaining soup all over the floor.

Lai Tou San felt a sharp pain in his chest, as if several of his ribs were broken. He felt a lump in his throat and his vision went black.

But he was a seasoned street thug, and his mind worked quickly. He knew he absolutely couldn't shout at this moment; opening his mouth might give him away or even invite a deadly attack. Holding his breath, as he was slammed against the wall, he pulled a dagger from under his cotton-padded coat and, using the momentum of his slide, stabbed the man who had hit him in the ribs!

Zhou Jindong anticipated a counterattack the moment he rammed into the other party. After the impact, he immediately loosened his jaw, the dagger he was holding fell into his palm, and he gripped the hilt tightly.

As Lai Tou San thrust his dagger forward, Zhou Jindong slammed his left elbow down, landing it squarely on Lai Tou San's wrist.

This press used a clever technique, both deflecting the dagger's thrust and using the body's strength to inflict a sharp pain on Lai Tou San's wrist.

Lai Tou San let out a muffled groan, nearly dropping the dagger from his hand.

But Lai Tou San was also a ruthless character. He raised his left hand and clawed at Zhou Jindong's eyes!

His movements are quick and cunning; if he catches you firmly, he could gouge your eyes out.

Zhou Jindong jerked his head back sharply, narrowly avoiding the fingernails.

Instead of backing away, he continued to push forward, his knee slamming into Lai Tou San's abdomen!

The alley was too narrow, and the two were almost locked in close combat. All their movements were squeezed into the small space, making it dull and silent, yet extremely dangerous.