Chapter 10

After half an hour, the fat man came out of the depths of the forest, carrying a wild rabbit weighing about five or six pounds, looking quite relaxed. Brigade Commander Ma, who had been pacing anxiously, hurriedly went up to him. Before he could say a word, the fat man tossed the rabbit to him and said, "Clean it up, I'm hungry, Fat Master."

"Hey, I say..." Brigade Commander Ma was forced to take the rabbit, about to protest, but the fat man cut him off, "What? You want me to join the Eighth Route Army, but you don't show any sincerity? Isn't it just asking you to clean a rabbit? If you can't do it, forget it."

"Alright, definitely alright." Brigade Commander Ma, having his weak spot exposed, reluctantly compromised. He handed the rabbit to the guard, Xiao Li, and said, "Xiao Li, go clean this rabbit by the stream. I still have something to talk about with him."

Xiao Li, seeing that Brigade Commander Ma had no temper in front of the fat man, was full of resentment. He had reached for his gun several times, wishing he could shoot this hateful fat man, but he was afraid of being scolded by Brigade Commander Ma. He grunted and walked toward the stream with the rabbit.

"Brother, what are you planning? I've brought the doctors from our division's direct hospital," Brigade Commander Ma said almost with a mournful face.

"Don't worry, the map of the Japanese minefields is all in Fat Master's head. Hurry up, get your men to gather firewood for me," the fat man patted his buttocks and walked to the base of a towering tree, sitting down.

"Alright, alright, I'll have them gather firewood," Brigade Commander Ma said with a helpless smile. Whatever the fat man said, he had to comply. He couldn't offend him, for the fat man to join his side and to safely lead everyone through the Japanese minefields, Brigade Commander Ma had to endure.

"Is the map of the minefields really in your head?" After instructing his men to gather firewood, Brigade Commander Ma couldn't help but ask. No matter how good his memory was, it was impossible to remember a map, right? But if the fat man didn't have the map of the minefields, wouldn't he be afraid of getting himself into trouble too?

Unable to figure out what the fat man was thinking, Brigade Commander Ma could only look at him with a puzzled face.

"Hmm." The fat man nodded, glanced at the disbelieving Brigade Commander Ma, and didn't bother to explain further. He closed his eyes and rested.

The ability to remember things at a glance was a strong point of special operations personnel. Although they had digital navigation and paper maps, each special forces soldier had to memorize the map to prevent the digital navigation from failing or the map from being lost.

The map of the Japanese minefields was already clearly imprinted in his mind. Leading the team through the minefields was a piece of cake, but the fat man had other plans.

When Xiao Li returned with the cleaned rabbit, the fat man started a fire, skewered the rabbit meat on a stick he had already prepared, and placed it over the fire to roast. The rabbit meat sizzled and dripped with oil, and the aroma of the meat wafted through the air. The fat man felt a bit uncomfortable, all because Wang Yi had appeared too quickly, leaving him with nothing, not even salt. How could he eat it?

"Do you know that starting a fire will attract the Japanese? And roasting meat, do you not know about the sense of smell of Japanese military dogs?" Battalion Commander Zhang appeared in front of the fat man with a grim face. If it weren't for the fact that he still needed the fat man to guide them through the minefields, he would have shot this fat man who violated military discipline.

Battalion Commander Zhang also looked at him anxiously, wondering why he was being so conspicuous and delaying their march. Roasting meat, wasn't he afraid of attracting the Japanese?

"If you're afraid of the Japanese, just leave. I didn't ask you to follow Fat Master. But Fat Master needs to remind you, there's a minefield not far ahead. Please!" The fat man left a message, with a look that said he was determined to eat, leaving Battalion Commander Zhang speechless. As long as this team still wanted to cross the minefields, Battalion Commander Zhang and Brigade Commander Ma had to comply.

"You..." Battalion Commander Zhang's eyes bulged, his chest heaving with anger. He struggled to calm down. If it weren't for the division commander's direct order to escort the four Eighth Route Army doctors, he would have shot the fat man and left.

"Dead... fat man, listen to Battalion Commander Zhang and put out the fire." Hearing this shrill voice, the fat man's cold face suddenly froze, then he put on an innocent smile and looked at Wang Yi. Wang Yi, feeling uneasy under his lecherous gaze, her face flushed with anger, and she said, "If you look at me again, I'll gouge out your eyes!"

"Gouge them out, I'll feel it's worth it if I die in your hands." The fat man laughed foolishly, his chubby face trembling. If Wang Yi had directly asked him to put out the fire, he would have done it without a word, but to listen to Battalion Commander Zhang, no way.

During the march, Wang Yi intentionally or unintentionally stayed near Battalion Commander Zhang, chattering non-stop, completely ignoring everyone. The fat man had long noticed that Wang Yi was quite interested in Battalion Commander Zhang and finally realized that her intense reaction to the sniper rifle and the dagger was because he had tricked Battalion Commander Zhang.

"Humph!" Wang Yi turned away, no longer daring to speak to the fat man, who knew what kind of dirty talk this shameless fat man would say to make her heart race.

"Aren't you just afraid of a Japanese battalion in the county? A few Japanese have scared you so much? If anyone is afraid, just leave. Don't get in the way of Fat Master roasting meat. After I'm full, I'll wait for the Japanese to come and die!" The fat man shouted confidently.

He knew the team was fleeing and that the delay, the fire, and the smell of meat would attract the Japanese, but at this moment, he was afraid they wouldn't come.

Battalion Commander Zhang's face was extremely unnatural. If it weren't for the burden of the doctors, he would dare to fight the Japanese. But with the doctors, he, as a soldier, had to prioritize completing the mission. This made the fat man think he was cowardly.

"I really don't know if you're foolish or have a plan?" Brigade Commander Ma sighed helplessly and handed a package wrapped in oil paper to the fat man. Whether the fat man was foolish or had a plan, the only thing certain was that his courage and physique were equally fat.

"Salt! Haha, good stuff." The fat man opened the oil paper, revealing white salt, and immediately smiled. The unpleasantness of a moment ago vanished. He crushed the salt with the handle of his bayonet, then used a cup to scoop some stream water, dissolved the salt, and evenly spread it on the roasted meat.

After applying the salt water, the meat was cooked, and the aroma made everyone present swallow their saliva. To avoid being found by the Japanese and puppet troops, they hadn't dared to start a fire and eat cooked food for days. They had been surviving on dry rations, and their stomachs were almost empty. Seeing the golden roasted meat and smelling the intoxicating aroma, they all looked over, swallowing their saliva.

"Old Ma, you provided the salt, this piece is yours." The fat man cut a third of the meat for Brigade Commander Ma.

Brigade Commander Ma felt honored and quickly took it, cutting a small piece for himself, then had Xiao Li distribute the rest to everyone.

Since he had given it to others, the fat man followed Brigade Commander Ma's arrangement. He cut another half of the roasted meat and walked to Wang Yi, silently handing it to her.

"For me?" Wang Yi was a bit stunned. Most women were food lovers, and after days without cooked food, she had been eating dry rations and couldn't resist the aroma of the meat. However, this fat man was despicable and had offended her "god of war," so she wouldn't beg him for a piece of meat.

"Ah, to lure the Japanese, you suffered a lot. I'll make it up to you with this meat," the fat man said with a look of regret, speaking with a double meaning.

"Filth from a dog's mouth, humph!" Wang Yi said angrily, but she took the roasted meat and said "thank you," not eating it alone. She left half and gave the other half to Battalion Commander Zhang.

Wang Yi's action almost choked the fat man. He was inwardly criticizing her, thinking, "Should I find a chance to get rid of this rival?"

The fat man chewed on the roasted meat, his ears perked up, afraid of missing any sound. He had rested eight or nine times over ten miles, and the delay in hunting and roasting the meat had taken a lot of time. The Japanese should be catching up.

Just as he was lost in thought, a faint dog bark reached his ears. The fat man smiled slightly. What was supposed to come, indeed came.