Chapter 37

Xiaochan carefully defused the mines, which made the fat man even more depressed. This woman was really too quick to get the hang of it, and she was naturally suited to be a mine clearer. People like her usually didn't live long in modern times and were generally used as core members of assault teams.

What is an assault team? They are the ones who scout ahead of the team. These people are the first to get shot, the first to step on mines, the first to be slashed, and the first to meet Marx.

The fat man also carefully observed the layout of each booby trap. Fortunately, Xiaochan didn't disappoint him. She cleared the tripwire mines in the first half of the minefield, looking relaxed. However, the fat man couldn't help but be on edge because he was walking right next to her. If Xiaochan failed to defuse a mine, they would truly become a pair of ill-fated lovers, dying together.

"Be careful. Don't think that clearing a few tripwire mines means you can relax. Do you know what the Japanese commander in the county, Asano, used to do?" The fat man said as he watched Xiaochan prepare to defuse a tripwire mine.

"How would I know?" Xiaochan cut the tripwire with a dagger, removed a grenade, and gave the fat man a scornful look. Didn't this fat man know that a mine clearer needed to be completely focused?

"There are many types of booby traps, not just tripwire mines. There are pressure-activated, pull-activated, and other types of mines. They can also be used in combination..." The fat man explained while observing the grass and the leaves in the forest. Suddenly, his gaze focused.

"There's a spring mechanism in the grass. What kind of mine is this?" Xiaochan almost saw the hidden spring mechanism in the grass at the same time as the fat man. She was slightly stunned and asked.

"This is a pressure-activated mine." The fat man drew his dagger, walked over, and carefully squatted down. He parted the grass with his hand and discovered a package of explosives buried underground. This booby trap was simple, but it was connected to a tripwire mine nearby. Anyone who tried to dig up the explosives would have to defuse the tripwire mine first.

The fat man explained while defusing the tripwire mine. Xiaochan watched him, her eyes suddenly becoming warm, her cheeks slightly flushed. This fat man usually acted frivolously and wasn't popular with women, but he was serious and thorough when teaching her to defuse mines. She was suddenly moved.

Xiaochan didn't understand that the fat man was teaching her to defuse mines because she met the criteria for being a member of his assault team—essentially a suicide mission.

While using his dagger to dig up the explosives, the fat man explained to Xiaochan, "You see, this spring mechanism will generate an electric current when stepped on, which will ignite the fuse and trigger the explosives."

"I still don't quite understand..." Xiaochan's knowledge structure couldn't grasp the concept of generating an electric current. There was no electricity in the Tiger Mouth Bandit Camp.

"I'll explain the principle to you when there's a chance. For now, just remember that this thing can produce a spark when compressed." The fat man removed the spring mechanism and put it in his pocket. This mechanism was common in the future, similar to the mechanism in disposable lighters. However, the mechanism in this era was a bit larger, and it gave him a new understanding of the Japanese commander Asano.

This Japanese commander was quite clever. The layout of the booby traps was advanced for this era, but unfortunately, he had encountered a穿越者 (time traveler), and he was destined to have bad luck.

As they moved forward, they cleared a section of the minefield and had the monkeys and bears collect the explosives behind them. When they encountered a mine that Xiaochan had doubts about, the fat man would personally handle it and explain. Xiaochan learned quickly. From morning to noon, they finally cleared all the mines in the minefield and approached the county town.

The four of them sat in the forest, eating dry rations and drinking from a spring. Beyond this small forest was an open area leading to the county town's gate. With their weapons, they would be discovered sooner or later, and how to enter the town became a problem.

"Son-in-law, are you really going to enter the town?" Monkey asked worriedly. He had been a deserter from the Nationalist Army and always ran away during battles. Over time, he had become very fast. Six months ago, when Tiger Sai saw him run like the wind, he kept him in the bandit camp as a messenger.

Now, the fat man was taking him into a town guarded by a Japanese battalion, and he naturally felt uneasy.

"Can the three of you swim?" The fat man decided that he had to enter the town. Otherwise, getting food would be impossible. The Japanese had deliberately used false intelligence to lure Tiger Sai into a trap, and their intentions were clear. The fat man wouldn't set up an ambush because he couldn't confirm whether the Japanese supply wagons contained real food or were just a trap. He wouldn't waste his time on that.

The fat man's goal was simple and direct. If the Japanese supply wagons outside the town were fake, the food warehouses inside the town couldn't be fake, right?

There were seven or eight roads leading to Qingzhou County, including a railway. Each road ended at one of the four gates of the town, guarded by Japanese and puppet troops. The fat man's size was too noticeable, and the Japanese and puppet troops almost all recognized him. To enter the town, they would have to cross the Qing River, which ran east to west through the town, and enter by water.

Monkey and Bear nodded, and the fat man's gaze finally fell on Xiaochan. He saw that Xiaochan looked hesitant and said, "Should I just enter through the gate?"

"No way!" The fat man immediately rejected Xiaochan's suggestion. Despite her coarse clothing and village woman's appearance, Xiaochan's beauty and wildness were hard to hide. Her wheat-colored skin made her very attractive to men. If something happened while entering the town, it could cause trouble. If she went into the town alone and something happened, would he save her? Saving her would mean risking his life against a Japanese battalion, and not saving her would be against his conscience.

"I'll carry you and swim in!" The fat man said through gritted teeth.

Swimming two miles to enter the town while carrying a person would be exhausting. When he had carried Wang Yi for over 200 meters, he was already exhausted. Now, carrying Xiaochan, who weighed about the same, he would have to swim at least 800 meters underwater and 200 meters on the surface. He suddenly felt that his decision was ridiculous and would exhaust him.

But there was no other way to enter the town. They had to do it, and with some help from Monkey and Bear, it shouldn't be too difficult.

They waterproofed their weapons and buried the explosives they had collected. The fat man hurriedly led the three to the riverbank, clearing a few more small minefields along the way. By the time they reached the riverbank, it was already sunset.

After eating, they waited until it was dark. The fat man broke off a few seamless reeds, giving one to each person, and they started to enter the water.

As soon as he entered the water, the fat man noticed that Xiaochan was nervously grabbing his arm, occasionally touching his body. He could feel her trembling, a typical sign of a non-swimmer.

Monkey and Bear carried all the weapons. The fat man led the way, with Xiaochan behind him. They slowly moved forward in the shallow water, only their heads above the surface. They were still about 200 meters from the town. For safety, the fat man whispered to the three, "Put the reeds in your mouths and dive."

At this command, Xiaochan reacted strongly, immediately climbing onto him, afraid that he would run away.