Chapter 6

Although Yang Zhen did not voice his thoughts, and his actions of extracting the wire from his shoe were very subtle and cautious, they were still noticed by Guo Bingxun, who was shackled to him and pressed tightly against him in the crowded carriage.

Feeling Yang Zhen's movements, Guo Bingxun, who did not know what he was planning, did not stop him at first. Yang Zhen's actions were extremely covert and quick, and even Guo Bingxun, who was sitting next to him, did not notice.

Although Guo Bingxun did not know what Yang Zhen was planning or what he had been thinking about since they got off the train, he sensed that something was not right and quietly advised him, "Whatever you are thinking, don't act rashly. At least wait until you have partially recovered."

"Even if we were to fight the Japanese soldiers outside the car, or even if the sun rose in the west and the Japanese let us run, how far could we go with our current strength? Since that acorn flour bun this morning, which was smaller than a baby's fist, we haven't had any food or water. We don't even have the strength to run."

"Since we were captured, we haven't had a full meal. Since boarding this train, we've only had two buns a day. Our bodies are extremely weak, and it will take some time to recover."

"The Japanese have transported us from inside the pass to here. Whatever they want to do, they can't let us starve to death easily. Once we recover, we can make further plans. Brother Yang, you must be patient. Even if not for yourself, for the sake of your brothers, you must stay calm. And once we reach the mine, in the wilderness, the chances of a successful escape will be greater."

Hearing Guo Bingxun's words, Yang Zhen, who had to abandon his plan due to dizziness, could not help but smile bitterly. He did not blame Guo Bingxun for his advice. Guo Bingxun and the other brothers, who did not understand Japanese, probably did not know that the Japanese were not going to use them as laborers but as test subjects for biological weapons. Yang Zhen wondered if Guo Bingxun would still be so calm if he knew their ultimate destination and fate.

Yang Zhen hesitated about whether to tell him the truth. His hesitation was not because he could not explain how he, a simple soldier, could understand Japanese, nor because he wanted to hide the truth.

What made Yang Zhen hesitate was whether revealing the truth would cause panic among the prisoners. If the prisoners knew they were to be used as targets for Japanese biological experiments, would it cause unrest? If the prisoners showed any abnormal behavior, the inhumane Japanese would surely take drastic measures to eliminate any potential threats.

If the Japanese took action now, the prisoners would have no means of resistance. As Guo Bingxun said, even if the Japanese suddenly had a change of heart and let them go, the prisoners, who were already extremely weak, would not have the strength to run.

After hesitating for a moment, Yang Zhen decided to wait until he could speak to Guo Bingxun alone before revealing the truth. As for the future, he could only take it one step at a time. Although the number of prisoners sent here was not enormous, it was not something this demonic unit could process quickly. As long as he survived, there was still hope.

There are no perfect walls in this world. Even with the strictest Japanese security, Yang Zhen believed there would be loopholes. If he could find these loopholes, he might have a chance to escape. According to his knowledge from the future, the Japanese unit's bacteriological research base in Wuchang County was forced to close because the prisoners used for experiments revolted and successfully escaped.

If untrained prisoners could escape, then he, who had received specialized training in the future, could also have a chance. Therefore, Yang Zhen firmly believed that as long as he found the loopholes in the Japanese guards, he could escape once he recovered his strength.

But what about the other brothers? Could he just watch them be taken for biological experiments and then use the bacteria developed at the cost of their lives to kill Chinese people? They were all his compatriots. Could he really abandon them? No, if he was to escape, they would all escape together. Abandoning all his brothers, even if he could escape, he would have no face to live in this world.

But thinking about this, Yang Zhen hesitated again. Did he have the ability to lead all the brothers to escape? Would the cunning Japanese give him such an opportunity? Looking at the young faces in the carriage, Yang Zhen fell into deep thought.

Yang Zhen's mind was filled with thoughts as he tried to recall all the information he had seen about this demonic unit when he visited its site in the future, preparing for future actions.

Seeing Yang Zhen stop all his actions and stand quietly in a corner of the carriage, Guo Bingxun, thinking his advice had been taken to heart, sighed and said no more. He also needed to conserve his strength to alleviate the dizziness caused by the lack of oxygen in the crowded carriage.

The distance from the Pingfang railway station to the Japanese demonic unit was not far, less than a kilometer. Although most of the Japanese escort soldiers had to march on foot, and the convoy's speed was much slower than a single vehicle, the distance was still not far. Before Yang Zhen could figure out a plan, they had arrived at their final destination, the headquarters of the Japanese biological warfare unit, the Kwantung Army's Epidemic Prevention and Water Supply Department.

Upon arriving at the tiger's den, Yang Zhen's heart became completely calm. Although the time for thinking was short, he had made his final decision. If he was to escape, it would be with everyone. He could not abandon all his brothers and survive alone.

Although he had not spent much time with these fellow prisoners, less than a day, and there was no deep bond between them, Yang Zhen knew that all these people were his compatriots. He could not stand by and watch them be used for Japanese biological experiments. However, he had not yet figured out how to do it in such a short time.

Yang Zhen knew that the Japanese would not immediately take them for experiments upon arrival. He originally wanted to observe the situation in the Japanese camp in detail to make a more detailed plan in the future. After all, what he had seen in the future were only the ruins left after the Japanese surrender, and some sketches drawn by former Unit 731 veterans based on their memories, which were not the same as the real situation.

However, when Yang Zhen and the others were once again escorted off the train, he realized he had underestimated the Japanese security measures. This time, they did not all get off the train at once. Instead, they were taken off one by one, two at a time, from each car. Each pair was immediately blindfolded by two Japanese soldiers and escorted away.

The blindfolds were not removed until they reached the next concentration point. During this time, Yang Zhen, who was held by two Japanese soldiers and could not move, saw nothing. He only knew that they had turned many corners. Apart from that, he did not get any useful information.

When the blindfold was removed from Yang Zhen's eyes, he found himself in a large warehouse, facing a group of Japanese officers under heavy guard, including several colonels.

One of the colonels looked familiar to him. Yes, it was him, the demon Shiro Ishii, who had strongly advocated for the success of biological warfare and founded this demonic unit, using a large number of Chinese people for experiments to develop biological weapons. This person looked more spirited than in the photos he had seen in the future, but there was no significant difference.

Seeing this monster, Yang Zhen, recalling the heinous crimes he had committed, and thinking about their current situation, wished he could tear him apart and drink his blood. However, he was too weak to even walk, let alone do anything. He could only wait for the future to take revenge.

While Yang Zhen was seething with hatred, Shiro Ishii, under the protection of a group of guards, walked up to the newly gathered prisoners, just as Taichi had done at the station, and carefully examined each one, who would soon become his experimental subjects, losing their names and being referred to only by numbers, and even being called "maruta," a Japanese term for logs.

Unlike the somewhat impatient Taichi, Shiro Ishii was very patient. It took a long time to gather the 500 prisoners, but he showed no impatience, carefully examining each one. From his expression, Yang Zhen could tell that he was very satisfied with this batch of prisoners.

After all the prisoners were gathered and examined, Shiro Ishii, satisfied, said to Taichi, who was following him, "These maruta are good. They are all strong and meet our requirements for experiments. It seems General Okabe takes our needs seriously. Send a telegram to the North China Area Army to thank General Okabe for his strong support of the Kwantung Army's Epidemic Prevention and Water Supply Department."

"Sir, General Okabe has received a transfer order and will soon become the commander of the Kwantung Army's First Division. I think you will have the opportunity to thank him in person," Taichi, who was now unusually respectful, hesitated for a moment and said.

"In that case, I will personally visit him when he arrives in Manchuria. As for these maruta, they must be strictly guarded. I do not want what happened in Wuchang to happen here again."

"Our most important laboratories will take at least another month to complete, and some of the experimental equipment is still on the way. During this period, these maruta will not be used. Moreover, although they are strong, they are currently severely malnourished and do not meet our experimental requirements. During this month, you must be very careful. You must ensure there are no mistakes and help them recover as soon as possible."

Hearing Taichi's words, Shiro Ishii was not too concerned. Since General Okabe was transferring to Manchuria, it would be better to thank him in person. He was more concerned about how to use these maruta.

The reason the proud Shiro Ishii sought help from the North China Area Army was that this demonic unit had received a highly secret and special experimental request from the Kwantung Army and even the Japanese military headquarters, requiring a large number of Chinese people for experiments. Manchuria could not provide enough experimental subjects at the time. Therefore, the Kwantung Army sought help from the North China Area Army to provide the required experimental subjects from the Chinese prisoners captured inside the pass. Shiro Ishii was very concerned about these prisoners who were about to become victims of his biological warfare.

Hearing Shiro Ishii's instructions, Taichi did not dare to delay, immediately agreeing and following through. Like at the station, they made the same mistake, trusting the interrogation records from the North China Area Army and not realizing that some of the prisoners could understand Japanese. This oversight gave Yang Zhen, who overheard their conversation, an opportunity.

Hearing that he had at least a month, Yang Zhen breathed a sigh of relief. With this month, he should be able to come up with a plan.