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

Lai Tou San is actually a master!

Lai Tou San was hit in the abdomen by Zhou Jindong's knee, and he grimaced in pain. His breath completely dissipated, but he gritted his teeth and did not cry out. Instead, he took advantage of the moment when Zhou Jindong pulled his knee back and suddenly grabbed Zhou Jindong's right wrist holding the knife with his free left hand and forcefully pried it outward!

The two instantly froze, one gripping the dagger and pressing it down, the other twisting their wrists and lifting them up, struggling against each other, their faces almost touching. In the darkness, they could smell the garlic-smelling breath from each other's mouths and the heavy smell of sweat on their bodies.

"You... which side are you from..." the bald man spat out through gritted teeth, his eyes fixed on Zhou Jindong, his grip incredibly strong.

Zhou Jindong ignored him, clenched his left fist, with the knuckle of his middle finger sticking out, and punched the soft flesh under Lai Tou San's right armpit!

When this area is hit, it feels both sore and numb, and the grip strength dissipates instantly.

Lai Tou San felt a sudden tingling and numbness in his right arm, and his fingers, which had been gripping Zhou Jindong's wrist tightly, involuntarily loosened.

Zhou Jindong had been waiting for this moment. He slashed down with his right hand, the blade cutting across Lai Tou San's throat!

Everything happened in just two or three seconds. The three bald men felt a chill on their necks, followed by a gushing sensation of scalding liquid.

He tried to cover his neck, but couldn't lift his hand. A hoarse sound came from his throat as his body slowly slid down the wall.

Zhou Jindong didn't have time to look at him. He released his grip, and the dagger, stained with blood, remained at Lai Tou San's neck.

He quickly squatted down and groped around on the still-warm body of the bald man, soon pulling out a 20-shot Mauser pistol from inside his cotton-padded jacket. After checking, he found that the gun was loaded with bullets.

He then found a leather knife sheath at his waist, tucked it behind his back, and a small cloth bag. Inside were several silver dollars and a few bullet clips.

He stuffed the silver dollars and bullets into his pocket, tucked the pistol into his waistband, and covered it with his clothes.

After doing all that, he checked the side of Lai Tou San's neck; his pulse had stopped.

The body lay limply against the wall, its head tilted to one side, its expression obscured in the darkness.

Zhou Jindong took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the rapid heaving of his chest caused by the intense struggle.

He picked up the dagger that had fallen to the ground, hastily wiped the blood off his clothes, and sheathed it again.

Then, he listened intently to the sounds around him.

The sound of a wooden clapper rang out again in the distance; it was past the fourth watch of the night.

Apart from that, there was only the sound of the wind howling through the alleyway and the faint barking of dogs in the distance.

The sounds of the fight weren't very loud, especially when Zhou Jindong blocked the impact with his body, the sound was muffled, and the sound of the earthenware pot breaking was also very similar to wild cats fighting and knocking over something.

This alley is secluded; no one should notice it in a short time.

He didn't linger, turned around and moved quickly but silently towards the alleyway at the other end of the alley, back to the mud brick mound where he had been hiding.

Wang Quan's heart had been in his throat when he heard the muffled sound at the alley entrance, but remembering Zhou Jindong's orders, he held back and waited anxiously at the alley entrance.

When he saw Zhou Jindong's familiar figure quickly returning along the wall, he breathed a heavy sigh of relief and almost collapsed.

Zhou Jindong didn't say anything, but simply gestured for him to "follow," then squatted down, took out a bamboo pole and a satchel from the corner, and slung them over his shoulder. He didn't assemble the rifle immediately; now wasn't the time.

He checked the safety of the Mauser pistol, made sure it was engaged, and then tucked it back into his belt.

The two silently returned to the dilapidated gatehouse where they had previously hidden.

Zhou Jindong took out two firecrackers from his satchel, gave two to Wang Quan, and kept two for himself.

He gave one of the two Japanese melon grenades to Wang Quan and kept one for himself.

This thing is powerful; use it in critical moments.

"The hidden sentry has been taken care of," Zhou Jindong said in a low voice, his tone as calm as if he were describing how dark the night was. "But we might have alerted those inside. We need to hurry and get into the hospital immediately."

Wang Quan nodded vigorously, his palms sweating profusely.

Zhou Jindong bent down and quickly took out the rifle parts hidden in the bamboo pole. In the extremely dim light, he skillfully clicked his hands a few times to assemble the barrel, bolt, and stock. He then pulled the bolt to confirm that it was working smoothly.

He didn't have a scope, so he couldn't use it at night.

He loaded five bullets into the magazine, locked the safety, and held the gun in his hand.

Wang Quan also loaded his rifle and checked it, just like the other man.

"Follow me, walk quietly. When I open the door, go in and immediately press yourself against the wall near the window of the east wing. If there are people in the courtyard, listen to my commands."

Zhou Jindong stared into Wang Quan's eyes, his tone carrying an unquestionable command, "Remember, don't shoot until you can clearly see the target. Liu Shunfa, bald, glasses, scar on his left cheek, capture him alive if possible. If absolutely necessary, kill him decisively; we absolutely cannot let him escape under our noses again."

"Understood!" Wang Quan gritted his teeth.

The two circled back to Cat Alley, this time moving much faster.

As you pass the location where the bald-headed man was hiding, a faint smell of blood can be smelled in the darkness. The corpse is still there, like a pile of rags.

Zhou Jindong didn't stop walking and went straight to the rammed earth wall of the grocery store.

There were some broken bricks piled up in the corner, just enough to stand on. He handed the gun to Wang Quan, took a few steps back, and with a running start, leaped into the air!

His hands gripped the top of the wall precisely, and he could feel the dry grass and loose soil in his palms.

He used his arms to pull himself up lightly, his head first going over the wall, quickly scanning the courtyard.

The courtyard was smaller than I had imagined; it was about one and a half meters high and about ten steps square, just as Old Meng had described.

The three side rooms face south side by side, their windows all dark and their doors tightly shut. The courtyard is quiet, save for the faint whistling of the wind whistling through the eaves.

There was a jumble of odds and ends piled up in the corner, and there seemed to be an old stone millstone against the wall of the west wing.

I didn't see a dog, nor did I see a person.

With a slight sense of calm, Zhou Jindong exerted force in his arms and leaped upwards, silently scaling the wall and landing lightly on the muddy ground in the yard like a cat, making almost no sound.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, he rolled to absorb the force of his fall, and at the same time, he was half-crouched against the wall, the safety off the pistol in his hand, the muzzle pointing warily at the window and door of the east wing.

He gestured towards the wall. Wang Quan immediately held up two rifles and handed them to him.

Zhou Jindong took it and leaned against the wall. Wang Quan followed suit, taking a running start to climb over the wall.

His movements were not as nimble as Zhou Jindong's. When he grabbed the top of the wall, he wobbled, and a few loose clods of earth fell down, making a slight cracking sound.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the dead of night!

Zhou Jindong's heart tightened, and he immediately lowered his body, pointing his gun at the east wing.

Wang Quan knew he had made a noise, his heart nearly jumped out of his throat, he held his breath, and froze on the wall, too afraid to move.

Time seemed to stand still. Several seconds passed, but there was no movement, no light, and no sound from the east wing.

Zhou Jindong gestured to Wang Quan to come down, indicating that the movements should be gentle.

Wang Quan swallowed hard, carefully climbed over the wall, and tried to control his body as he fell, landing on his feet first with his knees slightly bent, barely managing to stand firm without making any loud noise.

The two leaned against the wall, able to hear each other's suppressed breathing and heartbeats.

Zhou Jindong gestured for Wang Quan to guard the west wing and the kitchen, while he himself, holding a gun, slowly moved toward the east wing.

He took each step slowly, testing the ground with his toes first, then his heel, shifting his weight accordingly, making sure he made no sound.

The mud courtyard was fairly flat, without too many loose stones.

The door to the east wing was a pair of ordinary wooden doors with a gap in the middle, which appeared to be bolted from the inside.

The window was small, covered with yellowed window paper, and tightly closed.

Zhou Jindong went to the window and listened intently. There was no sound inside.

He gently raised his hand, dipped his finger in saliva, and silently poked a small hole in the window paper.

He didn't dare to look inside immediately. He first covered one side of the hole with his hand to prevent light from reflecting off it, and then slowly peered in with one eye.

The room was very dark, even darker than outside. But after my eyes adjusted for a while, I could barely make out the outlines inside.

On a kang (a heated brick bed), a dark, human-shaped figure was raised, covered by a quilt, fast asleep. The figure's head was facing inwards, and its feet were pointing outwards, so its face was not visible.

There was no one else in the house, and no sign of anyone keeping watch.

Zhou Jindong pulled his head back and gestured to Wang Quan that someone was inside and sleeping.

Wang Quan nodded nervously, gripping the rifle in his hand even tighter.

The next step is crucial. Should we open the door and go in, or break in through the window?

Opening the door is quiet, but it might be blocked by the latch. Breaking the window is quick, but loud; the sound of the glass or window paper shattering is likely to wake the people inside.

After a moment's thought, Zhou Jindong chose to break the window.

He needed to be fast, to rush in and take control before the other party could react.

Liu Shunfa was a traitor who had received some training. Although he was afraid of death, he might not have slept very soundly.

He might not have woken up from the noise Wang Quan made when he climbed over the wall, but the time it took to pry open the door was longer and there were more variables.

He stepped back to Wang Quan, handed the pistol back to him, and whispered, "I'll kick the window open. You watch the door. If the person inside wakes up and tries to run out, block the doorway."

Wang Quan took the pistol, gripped it tightly, nodded emphatically, and quickly moved to the side of the door, pointing the gun at the entrance.

Zhou Jindong took a deep breath, stepped back two paces, and walked to the side of the window.

He slung the satchel over his shoulder behind him and tightened his grip on the Type 38 rifle in his hand.

He used a gunstock, which was made of hard wood, with sufficient hardness and impact resistance.

He took a deep breath, took a sudden step, channeled all his strength into his arm, and slammed the butt of his gun against the window!

"Crash—bang!"

The window paper and any window frames inside were no match for this powerful blow, and the entire window sash shattered inwards with a deafening roar!

Wood chips and scraps of paper flew everywhere.

Almost at the same time as the cracking sound rang out, Zhou Jindong did not pause at all. He leaped up like a cheetah, grabbed the window frame with both hands, and filed in!

The dark figure on the kang (a heated brick bed) was startled awake by the sound of the window breaking. It sat up abruptly, letting out a short, terrified "Ah!" and groping around the edge of the kang as if looking for something.

Zhou Jindong landed with a roll to dissipate the impact. Before he could even regain his footing, his rifle was already raised, the muzzle pointed directly at the chest of the dark figure on the bed. He hissed, "Don't move!"

The person on the kang (a heated brick bed) seemed frozen; their body, which had been sitting up, was stiff, and their hand was suspended in mid-air.

In the darkness, you could see that the man's head was bald, he seemed to be wearing glasses, and there was a noticeable scar on his left cheek, which was contorted with fear.

It's Liu Shunfa!

Almost at the same time Zhou Jindong shouted "Don't move!", Wang Quan in the courtyard also moved!

He stared intently at the door of the east wing, and sure enough, a sliver of panicked light shone through the crack in the door; the person inside seemed to have been startled awake.

He heard hurried footsteps approaching the door from the east wing!

The footsteps inside the door stopped at the entrance.

The people inside were hesitant, afraid, and probably listening to the noises outside.

After a moment, as if he had made up his mind, the latch was suddenly pulled open with a click, the door was pushed open a crack, and a head cautiously peeked out. Judging from his clothes, he looked like a young boy, probably the guy Old Meng was talking about!

He looked at the broken window of the east wing with a look of horror.

In the blink of an eye, just as the door was pushed open, Wang Quan used the butt of the Mauser pistol he had just captured to smash the head that was peeking out from the crack in the door!

Bang! A muffled sound.

The guy didn't even see who hit him; he only felt a sharp pain in his forehead, his vision went black, and he collapsed backward without uttering a sound.

Wang Quan didn't stop; he quickly pushed open the door and rushed inside. The room was a little brighter than the yard, with an oil lamp on the table, its flame flickering.

Besides the employee who had been knocked unconscious, there was another person in the room, wearing only a thin shirt, who had just climbed up from the kang (a heated brick bed) on the other side and was frantically looking for his shoes. This was Guo Fuyuan, the grocery store owner that Lao Meng had described.

He saw Wang Quan rush in, a strange, burly man with a gun, and was immediately terrified, opening his mouth to shout.

"Shut up! I'll kill you if you make a sound!" Wang Quan growled, pointing his pistol at him intently. The voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the deathly still night, carrying a chilling aura.

The scream that Guo Fuyuan was about to utter was abruptly stuck in his throat. His face turned deathly pale, his legs went weak, and he collapsed onto the edge of the kang with a thud. He raised his hands, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

Wang Quan ignored him and quickly glanced around the room.

This is the area connected to the shop, separated by a curtain. Inside, besides the kang (heated brick bed) for sleeping and a table, there are some miscellaneous goods piled up in the corner.

He saw no one else. He pointed his gun at Guo Fuyuan and approached step by step.

"Where is Liu Shunfa?" Wang Quan asked in a low voice.

"In...in...in the east wing..." Guo Fuyuan's teeth chattered, his voice trembling uncontrollably, "Don't kill me...I'm just a businessman...they forced me to this..."

Wang Quan didn't have time to listen to his nonsense. Seeing a rope in the corner, he went over, grabbed it, and tied Guo Fuyuan's hands behind his back, binding them tightly with the rope. Then he took off Guo Fuyuan's socks, rolled them up, and stuffed them into his mouth.

Guo Fuyuan could only make muffled sounds, his face covered in tears and snot.

After confirming that no one else was in the house, Wang Quan grabbed his gun and rushed to the door to keep watch over the situation in the yard.

In the east wing, Zhou Jindong had already forced Liu Shunfa off the kang (a heated brick bed) at gunpoint.