Chapter 36

The fat man was very surprised. Yang Yun and Sai Diao Chan had tricked him. He had tacitly allowed the monkey and Yang Yun to argue because he wanted to get back at them. However, he didn't expect Yang Yun to really stick it out. Although the shell casing wobbled a few times during the process, it never fell off.

Yang Yun's exaggerated movement of returning the gun to the monkey was with his elbows bent, constantly shaking, his face pale. The fat man naturally guessed what had happened because when he first practiced this, his situation was similar to Yang Yun's, with both elbows bloody and raw. It was only after countless practices that his elbows developed calluses, improving stability, allowing him to persist in holding the gun for long periods.

Everything is difficult at the beginning, and without a solid foundation, one can never become a qualified soldier.

Yang Yun could last an hour in such training for the first time, and the fat man's requirements were extremely strict. He had deliberately chosen a rocky area for the monkey to practice shooting. Being able to hold still for an hour made the fat man have an idea. As the saying goes, a good man needs three helpers, and two fists can't fight four hands. He was originally from a special operations background and perhaps could form a small team to assist him.

So far, apart from one person and himself, no one else met his standards because the fat man's requirements were too high. In his view, the skills and knowledge of a special operations soldier were equally important. High standards could create a super-strong special operations team that could win in battle.

The next day, before dawn, the fat man kicked Bear and the monkey awake from their sleep, changed into civilian clothes, packed their equipment, and set off. Each person prepared two hundred rounds of rifle ammunition, one hundred rounds of twenty-shot magazines, and five hundred rounds of machine gun ammunition. Even Sai Tiger was reluctant to part with this much ammunition. The ammunition carried by the three of them was all the ammunition the bandits had for a single battle, not including Sai Diao Chan. If it weren't for the hope that the fat man could bring back food, Sai Tiger wouldn't have been willing to allocate so much ammunition.

The three of them, under the dim light, arrived at the place agreed upon with Sai Diao Chan. As expected, Sai Diao Chan had prepared the dry rations for the three of them, dressed like a village girl, which somewhat concealed her charm but did not diminish her beauty, making the fat man a bit uneasy.

The group left the bandit camp and headed towards the county town.

"Let's go to the minefield first, then enter the city at night," the fat man said, thinking of his sudden decision the previous day.

"Go to the minefield?" The monkey and Bear turned pale. Sai Diao Chan, however, guessed that the fat man could cross the minefield as if it were nothing, or at least knew the distribution of the Japanese minefield. She remained calm, seeing the monkey and Bear's terrified looks and deliberately ignoring their pleas for help.

Seeing that the second-in-command didn't care, the monkey and Bear didn't dare to ask the fat man why they were going to such a dangerous place, fearing punishment, and could only follow silently.

Since they were going to the minefield, they naturally didn't take the main road with Japanese checkpoints but went directly through the countryside. This area was a key point for the Japanese to set up minefields, and a single misstep could trigger a tripwire. Anti-tank mines were only found near the county town.

Relying on his memory, the fat man led the three people through the forest to a larger minefield. Before he could speak, Sai Diao Chan wrinkled her nose and said, "We're at the Japanese minefield."

"Wow! Impressive!" The fat man turned his head to carefully examine Sai Diao Chan. This woman could actually distinguish the metallic smell in the air with her nose. In the modern world, this level of olfactory sensitivity was the highest standard for detecting landmines.

Her wheat-colored face, upon closer inspection, somewhat resembled a heroine from a certain TV drama the fat man had seen. He quickly turned his head, afraid that if he looked any longer, he would be unable to resist his desire for Sai Diao Chan. Her wheat-colored skin always gave him naughty thoughts.

"I've had a sensitive nose since I was a child," Sai Diao Chan said matter-of-factly.

In this era, the fields were free of the various odors found in modern times. As long as there was metal in the ground, the wind and sun would cause it to rust, and a sensitive nose could detect this unusual smell.

The fat man felt that bringing Sai Diao Chan to the minefield was the right decision. Since he had the idea the previous day, he decided to train her separately.

"Monkey, Bear, you stay here and keep watch," the fat man said to the two of them, then turned to Sai Diao Chan and said, "Second-in-command, put down your things, take your bayonet, and follow me."

Although she didn't know what the fat man was up to, Sai Diao Chan didn't hesitate to put down her dry rations and draw her dagger, looking at the fat man.

Seeing that she was ready, the fat man walked towards the minefield, and Sai Diao Chan quickly followed.

"From this moment on, everything I say and do, you must remember in your mind. Can you do that?" The fat man tried to be serious, but his appearance was too comical, and he couldn't maintain a serious demeanor.

"Are you going to teach me how to clear mines?" Sai Diao Chan reacted quickly, her eyes brightening as she nodded. In her excitement, she blurted out "kid" and "old lady," but her cheeks turned slightly red afterward, wondering if she should change how she addressed the fat man.

The fat man didn't notice the change in her expression, her wheat-colored skin hiding it.

"The Japanese mostly use hand grenades, explosive packages, and artillery shells to set up tripwires in the outskirts because they lack resources and have almost no infantry mines," the fat man explained, his eyes focused on the grass and shrubs as he walked.

"Tripwires?" Sai Diao Chan was unfamiliar with the term.

"Tripwires are explosive devices set up using the terrain and environment, disguised and placed to lure or deceive people into triggering them. Therefore, a mine clearer must be bold and meticulous, with keen eyes and a mind that can distinguish the real from the fake," the fat man said, stopping as he discovered a tripwire.

Seeing the fat man suddenly stop, Sai Diao Chan's face tensed. This was a Japanese minefield, and the only reason the fat man would stop was if he had found a mine.

"There's a tripwire made from a hand grenade under my feet," the fat man said calmly, then added, "Find it."

Sai Diao Chan nodded and quickly looked at the ground near the fat man's feet. Indeed, a thin green hemp string was hidden in the grass, almost invisible if not for careful observation. She exclaimed, "A thin hemp string?"

"In such an open field, the appearance of an object that doesn't belong to the environment and is deliberately disguised is likely to be a trap..." The fat man's face was relaxed, but before he could finish, Sai Diao Chan interrupted him, saying something that shocked him: "If it can be discovered, it might be a trap to lure someone into clearing the mine."

The fat man's heart skipped a beat, and he broke out in a cold sweat. He had only given a simple introduction to tripwires, and this woman had already deduced the true definition of a tripwire. He suddenly realized that bringing her to clear mines was not only correct but also crucial. Her learning ability was extraordinary.

Her cunning and calculation were no less than his. If he ever angered her, he might end up being outsmarted by his own student.

Sai Diao Chan completely ignored the fat man, crouching down to follow the green hemp string. Soon, she discovered two interconnected tripwires nearby. The tripwires were tied in a "cross" pattern, with trip lines in all four directions. If not all were discovered, pulling one would trigger the hand grenade.

Watching Sai Diao Chan carefully cut the tripwires with her dagger, the fat man sighed, feeling powerless. It wasn't that he was too smart, but that people in this era had few opportunities for good education.

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