jdhmnovel Chapter 418 Mysterious Murder! What on earth did the survivors in the village experience?
Chapter 418 Mysterious Murder! What on earth did the survivors in the village experience?
After several days of arduous trekking through the mountains and forests, the clothes of the "Ghost Team" members were covered with dust and grass debris, and their bodies showed unconcealable fatigue, but their eyes were still firm and they moved forward steadily on the rugged mountain road.
The team arrived at the entrance of an uninhabited village. At the entrance stood an old, crooked elm tree with cracked bark and few branches. A few crows sat on the bare crown, calling out from time to time.
Lei Tao, walking at the front of the team, twitched his nostrils slightly. His battlefield-honed senses instantly picked up the faint scent of blood on the wind. He raised his hand and said in a low, urgent voice, "Don't move! Find some cover!" The team members understood and quickly, like ghosts, dodged behind the dense brush by the roadside, their movements nimble and silent.
"Everyone, stay alert. There's something strange about this village." Lei Tao crouched down, his eyes sharp as torches as he solemnly instructed his team members, "I'm going to the village first to find out what's going on. You just wait here for my signal. Without my order, don't act rashly. Remember that!"
When Liu Zishan heard this, veins popped out of his forehead with anxiety. He almost stood up. He lowered his voice but couldn't hide his anxiety: "Brother Lei, it's too dangerous. I'll go with you! One more person means more care!"
Lei Tao waved his hand, his eyes firm and unquestionable: "The more people there are, the bigger the conspicuousness. I can move more flexibly alone. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing and I will come back safely." After saying that, he crouched down, his body as agile as a cheetah stalking in the dark night, and tiptoed towards the village.
Lei Tao pressed himself against the mottled, age-worn walls, taking each step with extreme caution. His soles scraped against the ground, making a nearly imperceptible sound. His eyes scanned the surroundings vigilantly, not missing a single corner; his ears quivered, picking up any unusual sounds in the air. The doors and windows of the houses lining the street were tightly closed, like coffin lids. Some doors sat ajar, swaying gently in the breeze, making a creaking sound like a low hum from hell, adding a chilling eeriness to the dead silence.
He slowly approached a room, raised his hand, and lightly touched the wooden door with his fingertips. His palm felt the roughness and coldness of time. Taking a deep breath, he slowly pushed the door open. Instantly, a strong, pungent smell of blood washed over him like a surging tide, like a sledgehammer striking his heart, making him nauseous. The room was a mess, with tables and chairs scattered about in all directions. Some had broken legs, like birds with broken wings; others were missing backs. Several pools of dried blood on the floor were shocking, their edges blackened and irregularly shaped, like hideous faces. Up close, a putrid stench could be smelled.
Lei Tao's brows knitted tightly together as he slowly crouched down, his eyes fixed on the bloodstains. His mind raced, trying to piece together what had happened. He reached out his finger and gently touched the bloodstains, feeling the slight stickiness. He silently concluded that a fierce conflict must have occurred here, and it couldn't have been long. Perhaps the culprits were still here.
As we continued deeper into the village, the scene became increasingly horrific, a scene resembling hell on earth. Several houses bore traces of burnt bones, and faint plumes of smoke rose from the ashes, like the cries of the wronged, drifting slowly through the silent air. The stench of blood grew stronger, mingled with the sickening odor of burning flesh, piercing our nostrils and making our stomachs churn.
Just then, Lei Tao came upon a house ravaged by fire in a courtyard. More than a dozen mutilated bodies lay scattered across the yard. Some were missing arms, their limbs drooping limply to the side; others were missing legs, their wounds a bloody mess. Their clothes were torn and tattered, like fallen leaves in the wind. Their faces still held expressions of fear and pain, as if they had endured unimaginable torture in their final moments. Their despair pierced Lei Tao's heart.
Lei Tao, suppressing the rage and grief that erupted like a volcano, approached the house and peered inside. The sight made his heart tremble, as if gripped by an invisible hand. The scene inside was a living hell. In a room less than 40 square meters, dozens of charred bodies were densely packed together, their skin burnt black and their faces unrecognizable, impossible to identify. But it was clear that these were innocent villagers, burned alive by the brutal Japanese army.
Lei Tao's fists were clenched tightly, his knuckles turning white from the exertion, and the veins on the backs of his hands bulged like angry earthworms. His eyes burned with rage, his breathing became rapid and heavy, his chest heaving violently, the rage in his heart threatening to consume him.
Suddenly, he heard a faint groaning and sobbing coming from a dilapidated house in the distance. He immediately raised his gun, walked more quietly, and slowly approached the house. He stopped at the door, took a deep breath, calmed himself, and pushed the door open.
Inside, the dim light obscured the view. A strong smell of blood filled the air. A naked young woman, her hands dangling from a beam, swayed slightly like a lamb to be slaughtered. Her body was covered in bruises and scars, fresh wounds overlapping older ones. Some of the wounds were still oozing blood, forming a dark red pool on the ground. Flies buzzed around the wounds, greedily sucking the blood. Her hair was disheveled, covering most of her face, leaving only cracked lips and dried blood on her chin.
Seeing Lei Tao, she widened her eyes in fear, her body trembling instinctively, and she whimpered faintly, thinking she was about to face new torture. Her eyes were filled with fear and despair. Seeing this, Lei Tao quickly put down his gun, took off his coat, and gently covered the woman with it. His movements were as gentle as if he was afraid to disturb a wounded bird, and then he said gently: "Don't be afraid, I'm here to save you and put you down."
When the woman heard this, a glimmer of hope welled up in her eyes, like a flickering candle in the darkness. Her lips trembled, but she was too weak to speak. Lei Tao quickly looked around, found a worn-out chair, used it as a cushion under his feet, and reached out to untie the woman. She collapsed in his arms, like a puddle of mud, completely powerless.
Lei Tao carefully put her on the ground, took out a water bottle from his backpack, gently lifted her head, and dripped a few drops of water on her dry lips. The woman sucked greedily, making a "gulp gulp" sound in her throat, and her dry lips gradually regained a bit of vitality under the nourishment of the water. After a while, she regained some strength, and said in a weak voice: "After a while, the woman's eyes gradually showed some spirit. She accumulated some strength and said in a voice as weak as a mosquito and fly: "Han... traitors... devils... Yesterday at noon... more than a dozen traitors brought a lot of devils... broke into the village... said that we were harboring the wounded of the Eighth Route Army... They searched house to house, burned, killed and looted,
…and…and raped me, my cousins…were all abducted…” As she said this, tears welled up in her eyes, slid down her cheeks, and dripped onto the dusty ground.
At this moment, Liu Zishan's voice hushed from outside: "Captain, are you okay?" Lei Tao responded: "I'm here, Zishan, come in!" Liu Zishan, Meng Xiaoyu and others quickly rushed into the house. Seeing the tragic scene inside, everyone was furious. Meng Xiaoyu's eyes were red and tears were rolling in her eyes. She walked to the woman with heartache, hugged her gently, and said softly: "Sister, don't be afraid, we are all family." The woman leaned into Meng Xiaoyu's arms and burst into tears. The pain and fear that had been suppressed for a long time were completely released at this moment. The cry echoed in the house, tugging at everyone's heart.
Lei Tao's eyes were red, and he suppressed his anger. He took out a clean cloth from his backpack and gently wiped the blood and tears from her face. He said softly, "Girl, don't be afraid. We will definitely rescue your cousin and the others. Think carefully, which direction did those devils go? Did they say where they were taking them?"
The woman sobbed, trying to recall, "I... I was so tortured that I was unconscious. I only heard them say... that they were taking us to some stronghold. It seemed to be in the east, there was... a large mound of earth."
Lei Tao stood up and said to the team members, "The Japanese are too cruel. This blood debt must be avenged. But now we have to settle this girl first." Everyone nodded in agreement.
He looked at Meng Xiaoyu and said, "Xiaoyu, you stay here and take care of the girl. As for the buffalo and the sheep, you should search the cellars and hiding places around the village and try to find other survivors. Make sure they are safe and wait for our return." He then turned to Liu Zishan and said, "Zishan, come with me to scout the east and find out the location of the Japanese stronghold and their troop deployment. If there is a chance, rescue the villagers and then rush to the secret camp immediately."
The two of them obeyed. Meng Xiaoyu took out some wound medicine and clean gauze from the medical bag and prepared to treat the woman's wound, while gently comforting her: "Sister, bear with it, it won't hurt soon."
Lei Tao and Liu Zishan checked their weapons and equipment, grabbed enough ammunition, and crouched down before leaving the house. Outside, the still-dead silence remained. The ruins, shrouded in sunlight, looked especially desolate, as if silently condemning the Japanese atrocities. They groped their way eastward along the path, vigilantly observing their surroundings, taking in every glimpse of movement. The wind whistled in their ears, like a war song for the action they were about to embark on.
Reaching a high point, Lei Tao signaled a halt. The two men crouched in the grass, surrounded by silence, the only sound being the rustling of the grass in the breeze. Lei Tao's heartbeat raced, both anxious for the impending danger and filled with a sense of responsibility to rescue his fellow villagers. Looking ahead, he saw a large earthen slope not far ahead. Several makeshift barracks, surrounded by barbed wire, gleamed coldly in the sunlight. Two armed Japanese soldiers stood guard at the entrance, their figures particularly glaring in front of the barracks.
Liu Zishan cursed under his breath: "This is it, these bastards!"
Lei Tao narrowed his eyes, carefully observing the layout of the stronghold and the patrol patterns of the Japanese devils, and thinking about the rescue plan in his mind.