The Mysterious Soldier of the Anti-Japanese War

Chapter 285: Secret Passage Mystery and Tracking Clues

After a thorough search of the courtyard, the Military Intelligence Bureau agent who had discovered the secret room excitedly called out, "Captain Xu, Brother Lei, come quickly! We've found something important!" Lei Tao and Xu Keming quickly rushed to the secret room. The air was filled with an air of antiquity. Detailed maps of the surrounding area covered the walls, marked in red with key locations: towns, major transportation routes, military installations, and so on. Clearly, these maps had been meticulously drawn by the Japanese army, crucial data for strategic deployment.

A hand-cranked generator and radio sat quietly in a corner, the radio still stained with traces of unprocessed telegrams. In the brazier, the unburned pages of the message curled up, faintly discernible fragments of blurred handwriting and coded symbols. Xu Keming crouched down, carefully using tongs to pry at the residue in the brazier, trying to piece together the complete message. Lei Tao, on the other hand, picked up a topographic map and examined it closely, his expression growing increasingly serious.

"These maps are incredibly detailed. The Japanese have a crystal-clear understanding of our surroundings," Lei Tao said, pointing to several key military locations on the map. "It seems their ambitions extend beyond this one espionage operation." Xu Keming nodded in agreement. "These unburned telegrams are also crucial. They might contain their next plan of action."

Meanwhile, Meng Xiaoyu and his team, searching the attic, discovered something unusual about the wall where the mirror was hung. After circling the wall with the Li brothers, Meng Xiaoyu, with her years of experience as a spy, keenly sensed that something was up inside.

Meng Xiaoyu's brow furrowed slightly, her eyes gleaming with concentration and sharpness. She reached out and gently tapped the wall. Drawing on years of experience, she knew from the dull, slightly hollow echo that the wall held a hidden secret. The Li brothers stood by, breathless, closely watching Meng Xiaoyu's every move, ready to cooperate at any moment.

"Shuiyang, Shuiniu, help me find the trap." Li Shuiniu replied, "Okay." After a thorough search, Li Shuiyang finally reached for the Guan Gong statue on the altar and discovered something unusual: it wouldn't lift. Li Shuiyang twisted the statue hard, and with a dull creak, the wall where the mirror hung slowly opened, revealing a staircase leading underground. A damp, moldy air filled the air.

Meng Xiaoyu and the other two quickly raised their pistols and stood in a triangle position facing the cave entrance. Meng Xiaoyu said to Li Shuiniu, "Brother Li, we'll guard here. Go call Brother Lei and the others."

Li Shuiniu obeyed the order, turned quickly, and ran towards the secret room at a rapid pace. As he ran, he prayed silently that nothing would go wrong at this time.

Inside the secret room, Lei Tao and Xu Keming were still agonizing over the scraps of telegrams and topographic maps, racking their brains to piece together the Japanese army's complete plan from these scattered clues. Suddenly, the door to the secret room was flung open. Li Shuiniu stood there, panting, and called out anxiously, "Brother Lei, Captain Xu, come with me! We found a staircase in the attic leading down to the basement. Meng Xiaoyu and Li Shuiyang are guarding it!"

Lei Tao and Xu Keming exchanged a glance, then immediately stood up and followed Li Shuiniu to the attic. Along the way, the three hurried along, their hearts filled with confusion and vigilance.

When he arrived at the attic and saw the open hole, Lei Tao's eyes instantly became sharp. He picked up his gun, flashed a flashlight, and walked towards the stairs first, saying in a low voice: "Everyone be careful, we don't know what is waiting for us down there."

Lei Tao flashed a flashlight, the beam flickering in the gloom, barely illuminating the uneven, potholed steps beneath his feet. With each step, the soles of his shoes scraped against the damp ground, making a dull sound. His finger gripped the trigger, the gun swaying slightly with each step, ever vigilant against the unknown danger.

Xu Keming followed closely behind, his breathing low and steady, his eyes fixed on Lei Tao's back, his peripheral vision scanning the surroundings. The pistol at his waist was already unsheathed, ready to shoot at any moment. Meng Xiaoyu held her breath, her steps light as she followed Xu Keming, her grip on the gun tight, her eyes filled with determination and alertness.

As everyone went deeper, the stairs became more and more slippery, and water kept dripping down the walls. The dripping sound was particularly clear in the silent space.

After walking for over ten minutes, they reached the exit of a residential building. Lei Tao tumbled out with a tactical leap, splashing a little water on the damp ground. He quickly crouched, pistol extended, in a tactical search stance, his eyes warily scanning the surroundings, scanning every corner for any potential danger. Xu Keming followed closely behind, using Lei Tao's cover to quickly move to the side. The two coordinated, alternating cover, searching every corner of the house. Aside from a few footprints on the floor, they found nothing.

Lei Tao and Xu Keming squatted on the ground, carefully examining the mess of footprints. Lei Tao stretched out his fingers and gently traced the edges of the footprints, his eyes focused and sharp, not missing a single detail. He frowned slightly, his mind rapidly analyzing the information conveyed by these footprints.

After a moment, Lei Tao stood up and said solemnly, "Judging from the depth and spacing of these footprints, as well as the patterns on the soles, it seems that two men and one woman escaped from this underground passage. The two men walked steadily and powerfully, leaving footprints deep in the ground. They weighed about 70 kilograms and were about 1.7 meters tall. The woman's footprints were relatively shallow and closely spaced. She was thin, weighed about 45 kilograms, and was about 1.6 meters tall."

Xu Keming's eyes flashed with surprise and admiration, and he couldn't help but exclaimed, "Brother Lei, your observation and analytical skills are truly admirable! Without you, we wouldn't be able to discern so many secrets from these footprints."

Meng Xiaoyu also gave a thumbs-up and said sincerely, "Brother Lei, you're amazing! I learn a lot every time I work with you."

Lei Tao smiled, a hint of humility in his smile, but soon his expression returned to seriousness. He looked out the door and said hurriedly, "Don't rush to praise us. The most urgent thing is to find them. But the footprints disappear here. It seems that we can only pry some clues out of the mouths of those captured Japanese spies. Captain Xu, let's see what you are good at."