The Mysterious Soldier of the Anti-Japanese War

Chapter 251: The blood debt of the village massacre is not paid, the mysterious skull box line index

With mixed emotions about the impending brutal training, they hurried along the winding mountain road, hastening their pace toward the agreed rendezvous point with the Eighth Route Army task force. The sun had already set, dyeing the sky an orange-red. The afterglow cast a golden veil across the mountains and forests, but they had no time to appreciate the beauty.

As the sky darkened, visibility in the forest decreased, and the path became increasingly difficult. Lei Tao walked at the front of the group, his expression solemn, constantly alert to any movement around him. Suddenly, he stopped, raised his hand to signal for silence, and then lowered his voice to say, "Everyone, be careful. The atmosphere around here is not right. It feels like danger is approaching." Everyone immediately tensed, gripping their weapons tightly, and their eyes searched vigilantly in the darkness.

Just then, a faint sound of footsteps came from the side, and everyone instantly trained their guns on the source. A figure slowly emerged from the woods. It was an old man in ragged clothes, leaning on a cane, his face etched with fatigue and age. Everyone relaxed their guard slightly, but remained on alert.

When he appeared in front of the old man, the old man thought he had run into the Japanese devils who were slaughtering the whole village. He was so scared that he cursed: "Little devils, you slaughtered our village yesterday. Now I, an old man, will fight you to the death." He raised the crutch in his hand and was about to hit Lei Tao on the head...

Lei Tao reacted extremely quickly, dodging the old man's angry yet harmless blow with a single dodgy move. He quickly reached out and grasped the old man's wrist, applying just the right amount of force to stop the attack without injuring him. At the same time, he urgently shouted in his authentic Sichuan dialect, "Sir, you've misunderstood! We're not Japs, we're a team fighting Japs!"

The old man was confused by the sudden words and actions. His hands froze instantly, his cloudy eyes were full of suspicion, he gasped heavily, and his gaze swept back and forth between Lei Tao and the faces of the people behind him.

Huang Hu also stepped forward quickly and said in Mandarin with a local accent: "Uncle, please look carefully, we are not those devils who were killed a thousand times. We are here to help you take revenge!" As he said that, he put his gun behind his back and spread his hands to indicate that he had no ill intentions.

The old man's hands were still shaking slightly, the vigilance in his eyes faded a little, and his voice was choked with sobs and doubts: "You... are really going to fight the Japanese? Are you kidding me, an old man? Yesterday, those damn Japanese devils were like mad dogs, killing everyone in the village..." When he said this, the old man's eyes turned red and tears welled up in his eyes.

Lei Tao released the old man's wrist, with a sincere look on his face, and spoke in Sichuan dialect again: "Uncle, it's absolutely true! We heard that the Japs here are very fierce, and we are rushing to meet up with the Eighth Route Army Task Force to deal with these bastards together! If you still don't believe it, we still have wounds on our bodies from previous battles with the Japs." As he spoke, he opened his collar, revealing a hideous scar that had not yet healed completely.

The old man stared at the scar for a long time, as if he finally believed their identities. The crutch in his hand fell to the ground with a clang, and he sat down on the ground like a deflated ball, crying loudly at the top of his voice: "Oh my God, finally someone has come to avenge our fellow villagers..."

Everyone gathered around, their faces filled with sympathy and indignation. Chen Feiyang squatted down and whispered to comfort him, "Uncle, don't be too sad. We will definitely seek justice for the villagers! Please tell us what happened to those devils and where they have gone now?"

The old man let out a long sigh, a complex look flashing in his eyes, like anger and excitement. He raised his hand to wipe the tears from the corners of his eyes, his voice trembling slightly, "Yesterday, more than 30 Japanese soldiers descended from the sky with a roof-sized cloth and ropes and massacred our village! I happened to be hunting in the mountains with a few young men yesterday and escaped..." At this point, the old man's eyes reddened and his voice became increasingly choked. "The worst thing is that the young girls in our village were not only raped by the Japanese soldiers, but also... brutally killed and hanged under the big banyan tree at the entrance of the village. Those beasts are simply not human!"

Huang Hu was so angry that his face turned red when he heard this. He punched the tree trunk next to him and cursed in dialect: "These damn bastards, when I catch them, I will kill them!"

Lei Tao's brows knitted together, and after a moment's contemplation, he asked in Sichuan dialect, "Uncle, do you know which direction they went? Did you see any clues they left behind?"

The old man raised his head, wiped his nose with his sleeve, and said, "When they left, they went west. I was hiding in the mountains and saw them carrying some large boxes. I don't know what was inside. But there was a picture of a human skull on the box...

Everyone was stunned when they heard this, a chill running through their feet and into their hearts. Lei Tao's eyes instantly became as sharp as an eagle's. He knew that the box with the skull pattern was no ordinary object and was likely related to some evil plan of the Japanese army.

Huang Hu spat and cursed, "What the hell are you doing with these weird-looking boxes? Are you planning something harmful again?"

The old man's face showed fear, and his voice trembled slightly: "I have lived for most of my life, and I have never seen anything like this. Those boxes look so eerie, it makes me feel creepy."

Lei Tao pondered for a moment and said slowly, "The Japanese army has always been secretive. The contents of these boxes may be crucial to their next move, and may also bring greater disaster to the surrounding people. We must catch up with them as soon as possible and find out what is in the boxes."

Chen Feiyang frowned and analyzed, "Brother Lei, they are carrying boxes, so their movements will definitely be restricted. If we take a shortcut, we should be able to find a suitable ambush location before them."

Lei Tao nodded and looked at the old man. His tone was firm and concerned. "Uncle, the road ahead may be very dangerous. If you are afraid, we can find a safe place to accommodate you first."

The old man straightened his back, his eyes full of determination: "No, I want to go with you. I want to watch you defeat the Japs and destroy those harmful things! I am no longer afraid of any danger in my old life."

Seeing the old man's resolute attitude, Lei Tao stopped trying to persuade him and said, "Okay, uncle, please follow us closely. Brothers, time is running out, let's go!"

Led by the old man, the group hurried westward along the mountain road. The sky darkened, and a sense of oppression permeated the forest. They hurried, their hearts filled with anger at the Japanese atrocities and a wariness of unknown danger.