The Mysterious Soldier of the Anti-Japanese War

Chapter 222: Dawn of Despair

Inside the bell tower, everyone sat in a huddle, the atmosphere oppressive. Anxiety and exhaustion were written across everyone's face. Lei Tao frowned as he listened to the team discuss evacuation plans, repeatedly scanning the simple county map on the ground, searching for a way out.

Lu Ming rushed in and shouted in panic, "Brother Lei, this is bad! A small group of Japanese soldiers are searching house by house and are about to reach the bell tower!"

Everyone tensed up. Some team members gripped their weapons so tightly that their knuckles turned white; others breathed rapidly, their chests heaving violently. Fan Xiaoyu's face was pale, and he clutched the hand of the female student next to him tightly, his body trembling slightly.

Lei Tao quickly assessed the situation and knew he couldn't fight the Japanese head-on. He had to buy time and look for an opportunity to break out. He said to Liu Zishan, "Go outside the bell tower and find a secluded spot where you can clearly see the Japanese troops and keep an eye on them. Blow three short whistles if anything happens." Liu Zishan nodded and hurried out.

"Everyone else, hide with me. Move quickly and don't make any noise," Lei Tao continued. Everyone quickly took action, and the team members protected the female student, quietly hiding in a hidden corner.

Young woman Lin Yue squatted in the corner, her palms sweating with nervousness. She slipped and reached for the wall, bumping into a bump.

With a muffled thud, the ground shook, and the ground beside Lin Yue cracked, revealing the entrance to an underground passage. A damp, stale smell filled the passage. Then, the oil lamps on either side of the passage suddenly lit up, illuminating the pitch-black passage. Strange patterns were carved into the walls, giving it a mysterious look.

"What's going on?" Lin Yue collapsed on the ground, his voice trembling.

Lei Tao walked to the entrance of the passage, picked up a stone and threw it in. After confirming that it was safe, he shone the flashlight into the depths of the passage.

"This passage is quite old. There might be a secret to how the oil lamp lights up," Lei Tao said. "In any case, this may be our only way to escape."

Hu Hansi frowned and said, "Brother Lei, this passage is too strange. I'm afraid it might be dangerous."

Lei Tao nodded: "I know, but we have no other choice. The Japanese army will be here soon, and staying here will only lead to death."

The team members' expressions were solemn after hearing this, and the female students were trembling with fear and hugged each other tightly.

Lei Tao said loudly: "Don't panic, everyone. Send a few people down to explore the way first. If it is safe, the female student and other team members will go in."

Hu Hansi said, "Brother Lei, I'll take two people down with me." Lei Tao agreed.

Hu Hansi led two team members, armed with weapons, and carefully walked into the underground passage. The passage had an old smell, and their footsteps echoed in the passage, and each step was taken very carefully.

As they were walking, one of the team members slipped and nearly fell. He noticed some strange water stains on the ground, as if they had seeped from the wall.

Hu Hansi squatted down to check the water stains, then touched the wall and found that the stones on the wall were a little loose, which might be a hidden mechanism. At this time, a slight sound came from the front, like someone walking.

The three men immediately became nervous, raised their weapons, and slowly approached the direction of the sound. As they got closer, they saw a fork in the road ahead, and the sound seemed to come from the left passage.

Hu Han thought for a moment and decided to check the left passage first. After turning carefully, they found no one in front, only a broken wooden box in the corner.

Hu Hansi cautiously approached the wooden box and motioned for the team to open it. Inside, they found some worn clothing. A closer look revealed the uniforms of Ming Dynasty officials. The fabric was rotten, the color dull, and the gold embroidery was incomplete. Beneath the clothing, the team uncovered a yellowed piece of paper.

"Brother Hu, here is a piece of paper!" the team member shouted.

Hu Hansi took the paper, unfolded it, and discovered it was a simple map of the underground passage. The lines were rough, and some of the writing was blurry, but it was generally legible. The map showed that their current passage was only a small part, with several forks ahead, marked with strange symbols. He carefully put the map away.

As they were about to leave, Hu Hansi stepped on a floor tile, which suddenly sank. Then, the sound of mechanical gears turning could be heard from both sides of the passage. Hu Hansi shouted, "Be careful! There's a trap!"

Immediately, several arrows shot out from four locations on either side of the wall. In the moment of emergency, Hu Hansi reacted quickly, kicking one teammate away and then tackling another. The arrows grazed their clothes and lodged in the nearby wall. But the arrows continued to fly.

Hu Hansi lay prone on the ground, observing his surroundings. He noticed a stone on the wall that was a slightly different color. Based on his family's knowledge of mechanical devices, he felt it might be the key to disarming the mechanism. With danger approaching, he ignored it and lunged at the stone, pushing hard.

He exerted force with both hands, his body trembling, and sweat on his forehead. Just as another wave of arrows was about to be shot, there was a "click" sound, and the mechanism seemed to have changed. The arrows stopped shooting, but the tension in the passage was still high.

Hu Hansi stood up panting and looked at his teammates. He knew that the danger was still there and the Japanese troops outside the passage were getting closer and closer.

Meanwhile, behind bushes over a hundred meters from the Japanese brigade headquarters, a dozen underground Party members prepared for action. Old Chen whispered to his comrades, "This operation must succeed. We must disrupt the Japanese army and give the anti-Japanese forces in the city a fighting chance. Take aim and throw your grenades into the enemy headquarters!" The comrades nodded, their expressions serious.

Old Chen checked the crossbow's angle and gave the order, "Fire!" More than a dozen crossbows fired simultaneously, their arrows carrying grenades emitting a whistling white smoke, flying towards the Japanese brigade headquarters. The grenades flew over the wall and landed in the headquarters courtyard.

In the headquarters, the remaining special agent team leader was talking to several soldiers. He noticed something was wrong, looked up and shouted, "Enemy attack, hide!" and pushed the passing Zhuxia Konggu to the ground.

The grenade exploded instantly. The blast shook the headquarters, sending flames shooting into the sky and waves of heat billowing. Then, other grenades exploded, filling the air with smoke and a pungent smell.

The blast sent tables, chairs, and documents flying everywhere, shattering glass into fragments that rained down like raindrops. Takeshita Konggu, pinned down by the special agent captain, was furious. He had never imagined that his brigade headquarters would be attacked at this time. The special agent captain vigilantly observed his surroundings, wary of any further danger.

The Japanese soldiers in the headquarters were caught off guard. Some were blown away by the blast, slamming into the wall and groaning in pain; some were hit by shrapnel and rolled on the ground screaming; some were choked by the smoke and ran around in a chaotic mess.