Chapter 53

When the fat man woke up, it was already noon. He got up, took off the Japanese military uniform, picked up his gun, and stepped out. He was a bit stunned to see that, apart from a clerk at the counter, even the fourth leader, Jia Daode, was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, where is everyone?" The fat man asked the clerk in surprise. He knew this guy, a follower of Jia Daode, usually quite sharp.

"Sir, the first leader, along with the third, fourth, and fifth leaders, has taken the brothers to the county to seek revenge on the Japanese." The clerk hurriedly replied. This man was a capable person in the bandit camp, so he had to tell the truth.

"Hmm?" The fat man was rummaging for food when he heard this. He stopped, his small eyes narrowing. He thought, have these bandits lost their minds? Do they think the county's Shallow Field Brigade is a bunch of fools?

"A bunch of reckless fools, don't they want to live anymore?" The fat man sneered, thinking, it's not that I'm not keeping my word, but these bandits are too naive. If they all get wiped out by the Japanese, I won't have to stay in the bandit camp and marry that woman, Sai Diaochan.

Three hundred brave men willing to fight the Japanese to the death, like eggs hitting a stone. The fat man felt a pang of sympathy and asked again, "Quick, what exactly happened?"

"I don't know the details, but the second leader was shot by the Japanese and is probably not going to make it. The first leader and the brothers decided to seek revenge..." The clerk only knew the general situation. He didn't know why Sai Diaochan was shot or her current condition. His rambling made the fat man dizzy. He finally added, "The second leader is now in the bandit camp, protected by Dog Bear and Monkey. Dog Bear's arm is broken."

Hearing this, the fat man picked up the Japanese military uniform and left the inn, heading up the mountain path.

When he arrived at the bandit camp's gate, indeed, only a few scrawny bandits were guarding it. All the able-bodied brothers had been taken out by Sai Laohu.

He ignored the greetings of the bandits and strode to Sai Diaochan's room. Sure enough, he saw Xiao Cui with tears in her eyes, Monkey with a grim face, and Dog Bear in pain. Looking closely, he saw that Dog Bear's arm, wounded by a Type 38 rifle, was exposed and unbandaged.

"Sir!" Monkey, with his sharp eyes, saw the fat man suddenly burst into the room and immediately looked relieved, as if the fat man's arrival gave him a sense of security.

Dog Bear and Xiao Cui hurriedly greeted him. The fat man nodded and then glanced at the unconscious Sai Diaochan lying in bed, cursing in his heart, this damn wheat-colored woman, whether injured or not, looks the same, making it hard to judge the severity of her injuries.

He lifted his hand to uncover the bandage on Sai Diaochan's chest. The wound was completely soaked in blood. Turning her over, he saw another large bloodstain in the same spot. He could confirm that this was a through-and-through wound from a Type 38 rifle.

Although the Japanese Type 38 rifle had good accuracy and a long range, its 6.5mm caliber usually caused through-and-through wounds. As long as it didn't hit a vital organ, it could be saved. The Type 38 rifle rarely caused permanent disability; either you died or you lived.

On the other hand, the old Mauser, the standard Chinese rifle, and the 98K used larger caliber bullets. Even if they didn't hit a vital organ, they could tear out a large piece of flesh, often resulting in death or disability.

The fat man checked Sai Diaochan's breathing, which was intermittent. His face stiffened, and he said to Monkey and Xiao Cui, "Go get some quilts, as many as you can."

"What about me?" Dog Bear was stunned. Although he was injured, he wasn't dead yet and wanted to do something. Besides, the second leader had been good to him, and he felt he should repay the favor.

"Come with me later." The fat man glanced at Dog Bear's arm and said.

In such hot weather, finding quilts was difficult. It took some time for Monkey and Xiao Cui to bring them. The fat man threw away his cigarette butt and looked at the unconscious Sai Diaochan, thinking, don't think I'm saving you because I like you, woman. It's just that I have a good heart and can't bear to see you die in front of me.

The fat man bent down, inserted his arms under Sai Diaochan's back and thighs, and lifted her with effort. He then shouted at the slightly stunned Xiao Cui, Monkey, and Dog Bear, "What, you've never seen me carry a woman before? Follow me!"

With that, the fat man carried the severely injured Sai Diaochan and walked out of the room without looking back.

Monkey, holding the quilts, hurriedly followed, and Xiao Cui kept up. Finally, Dog Bear, after a moment of hesitation, ran to catch up.

On the way down the mountain, the fat man carried Sai Diaochan and asked Monkey what had happened. He learned that Sai Diaochan had secretly led Monkey and Dog Bear to try to leave the city through the north gate, thinking that with the sixth leader, Old Li, they could easily get out.

Although Sai Diaochan was smart, she didn't know the military rules. Old Li had switched shifts the night before to let the fat man out, but he wasn't on duty during the day.

When Sai Diaochan and the others arrived at the north gate, they encountered the inspection by the puppet army commander, Wu. This lecherous man immediately tried to molest Sai Diaochan and wanted to take her as his eighth concubine. Without a word, Sai Diaochan shot Wu.

If Wu hadn't dodged quickly, it wouldn't have been just his ear that was shot off.

This shot not only attracted the attention of the puppet army guarding the gate but also the Japanese. In the ensuing firefight, Sai Diaochan was shot. Dog Bear, disguised as a woodcutter with a Czech gun hidden in the firewood, and Monkey, who pulled out the Czech gun, suppressed the Japanese and puppet army at the gate. Dog Bear then carried Sai Diaochan and fled.

While fighting and retreating, they managed to pull away from the Japanese and puppet army and hide in the bushes. Dog Bear then discovered that his arm had also been shot.

They had to bury the Czech gun on the spot and carry the severely injured Sai Diaochan back to the bandit camp. After that, Sai Laohu, wanting to avenge his sister, led the bandits to seek revenge on the Japanese.

The fat man knew the rest.

The path down the mountain became a hellish journey. Carrying Sai Diaochan, every step was difficult. In such hot weather, even walking alone was tiring, let alone carrying someone. With his physical condition, he started swaying after less than 300 meters.

"Damn it, I knew this woman would bring nothing but trouble!"

The fat man was furious, but looking at the three people beside him, one with a shot arm, another too skinny to carry Sai Diaochan, and the last a girl, he felt it would be embarrassing to let a woman do the job. He couldn't bear the thought of a man with good hands and feet having to rely on a woman.

So, he had no choice but to do it himself.

He made another vow, like many girls today, to lose this excess weight. Otherwise, even carrying a woman would be a struggle, and how would he ever attract women in the future?

Finally, he made it down the mountain and to the Black Inn. He had Monkey lay all the quilts on the floor and placed Sai Diaochan on them. Sweating profusely, he went to the hidden place where the two Japanese cars were parked. He checked the fuel in both cars, chose the one with more fuel, started the fire, and drove the Japanese military car back to the inn. With the help of Monkey, the clerk, and Xiao Cui, they carefully moved the severely injured Sai Diaochan onto the car.

Finally, the fat man started the car and set off with Sai Diaochan, Xiao Cui, Monkey, and Dog Bear.

"Sir, where are we going?" Halfway through the journey, Monkey, not daring to ask the fat man directly, urged Dog Bear to ask.

"To the Eighth Route Army." The fat man, driving, was worried that Sai Laohu might have wiped out all the brothers, so he wasn't in the mood and replied casually.

"What?" Monkey, Dog Bear, and Xiao Cui were all stunned.