Chapter 88

Wang Yi was slightly taken aback. This was the first time she had heard the fat man described as a "good person" among all the various evaluations she had heard at the division hospital recently, and it was even more surprising coming from a mischievous child. This feeling was not only strange but also made her curious, so she began to press the child for more details.

In the distance, Jia Daode, holding a wooden tray, ran over and handed it to Colonel Ma. He then looked at the fat man, who remained silent, and felt greatly relieved. He was afraid that he had brought the wooden tray without the fat man's permission, and the reputation of push-ups had already spread among the bandits.

Jia Daode could manage a couple of hundred push-ups, but the fat man's punishment usually involved numbers in the thousands, which would truly be the end of him.

"Colonel, let me throw this for the kid." Lei Dabiao had been eager to do something for the fat man. Even if it was just to defend the fat man's honor, he was excited about it.

Colonel Ma nodded and handed the wooden tray to Lei Dabiao.

"This won't do. Who knows if you're in cahoots with him? Chen Ganji must choose the person to throw the wooden tray." Zhao Laosan was afraid that Lei Dabiao would deliberately throw the tray poorly, reducing the time it would stay in the air, thus giving him less time to shoot.

"Fine, I won't do it then." Lei Dabiao threw the wooden tray aside and walked to the side, feeling frustrated. Xiao Li caught up to him, put his hand on his shoulder, and laughed, "Lei, it's better if someone else throws the tray. I was afraid you would do it."

Lei Dabiao's strength was formidable, and his accuracy was surprisingly good. His skill with throwing grenades was a clear indication of this. Since the last time the fat man and Sai Diaochan had a shooting contest, he had studied how to throw the wooden tray to make it stay in the air longer, and he had made some progress. Zhao Laosan's words, however, deprived him of his greatest advantage. How could the cunning Xiao Li not see through this?

Colonel Ma also smiled. He knew the strengths of his men very well. He sat down on the ground, took out a cigarette, and started smoking.

Seeing this, Xiao Li and Lei Dabiao also walked over, shamelessly asked Colonel Ma for a cigarette, and sat down in a row with the fat man and Colonel Ma, watching Zhao Laosan as if they were watching a monkey show.

Then, Jia Daode and Sai Laohu joined the spectators. Those who had cigarettes shared them, and they all sat in a row, their faces calm. The absolute trust they had in the fat man, evident on their faces, made Chen Ganji feel uneasy.

This fat man had a magnetic quality, and even Colonel Ma and the Eighth Route Army soldiers naturally gravitated towards him, choosing to unconditionally support and trust him.

Zhao Laosan, feeling like he was being watched like a monkey, became increasingly agitated and impatient. "If I win, Colonel Ma must give up his position as the team leader, and everyone will listen to Chen Ganji."

Colonel Ma smiled slightly, glanced at the expressionless fat man, and saw that he was silent, which meant he was tacitly allowing him to handle it. He had known the fat man for some time and had learned a lot from him, especially his ability to avoid losing. He replied, "Sure, if you win, you'll be in charge. But if you lose, you and your group will have to follow my orders. If you dare to say no, go back to the commander and the political commissar and withdraw from this mission. Got it?"

"Who said I'm afraid?" Zhao Laosan retorted without thinking.

Chen Ganji's face twitched. Colonel Ma's words were a trap, and if Zhao Laosan lost, they would all have to follow his orders.

The driver with the special skill of driving was not a problem, but the man skilled in climbing walls and picking locks had a mischievous look in his eyes, and it was unclear what he was planning.

"Hehe, this is getting interesting." The fat man observed these unruly men. Colonel Ma had brought a good group this time. As for their unruliness, it was normal, and a bit of discipline would set them straight.

Chen Ganji had the burly driver throw the wooden tray and whispered instructions to him. The intellectual understood the key to making the heavy wooden tray stay in the air longer: the technique and strength needed to consider air resistance.

When the wooden tray was thrown, Zhao Laosan aimed his Mauser pistol at the flying tray and fired. The sound of gunfire echoed, and everyone counted. Seven shots were fired. When Chen Ganji found the broken wooden tray, his face turned grim. There were only six bullet holes in the tray.

"How is this possible..." Zhao Laosan was completely deflated but still looked不服 (unconvinced).

"Shitty, you know the difference now, you shallow bastard!" Xiao Li's words were venomous.

"Hehe, Old Zhao, you lost!" Chen Ganji said with a sarcastic tone.

"What do you mean 'lost'? Chen Ganji, you need to be clear. If you're not satisfied, let's continue!" Colonel Ma became aggressive, standing up to confront him. Lei Dabiao and Xiao Li also stood up, ready to fight if Colonel Ma gave the order.

"Colonel, you said the fat man can hit twelve times. That's just what you say. No one has seen it. How can Zhao Laosan be convinced?" Chen Ganji was waiting for Colonel Ma's words to turn the tide.

"Exactly, just talk. I'm not convinced!" Zhao Laosan, seeing Chen Ganji support him, also jumped in to argue.

"Damn, you're not convinced of losing? Do you want to fight?" Xiao Li and Lei Dabiao immediately jumped out, pointing at Zhao Laosan and cursing.

"Come on, who's afraid of who?" Zhao Laosan also became aggressive.

Colonel Ma and Chen Ganji quickly pulled their men back to prevent a real fight from breaking out.

The fat man sighed. He felt that if he didn't say a few words now, this place would turn into a battlefield. He threw his cigarette butt away, stood up, and said with a smile, "Whoever is not convinced, step forward. Fat Master will deal with all the rebels!"

"It's me, what are you going to do? Dare to have a shooting contest with me?" Zhao Laosan, seeing the main person appear, puffed out his chest and approached, looking at the fat man with a tilted head.

"Is it you?" The fat man glanced at Zhao Laosan, his eyes full of indifference.

"Is it me..." Before Zhao Laosan could finish his sentence, the fat man moved without warning, kicking him in the stomach with a knee.

This sudden and fierce move came from the battlefield Murphy's Law, which also applied to fighting. The fat man acted contrary to this law—enemies attack when they are ready or when you are not ready.

Zhao Laosan, caught off guard by the fat man's knee, bent over in pain.

But it didn't end there. The fat man raised his arm and, as Zhao Laosan bent over, struck the back of his head with his palm, causing a temporary interruption of blood flow to his brain, making him instantly faint and fall to the ground.

Everything happened so quickly that it was like a fluid motion. Only when Zhao Laosan lay on the ground like a corpse did everyone realize that the cunning fat man had taken advantage of Zhao Laosan's lack of defense and dealt a harsh blow.

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