Chapter 99

Colonel Ma and his men came up from the trenches they had been responsible for repairing. Fortunately, with Lei Dabiao's help, Chen Gan's trench was also completed on schedule. In fact, Lei Dabiao finished the trench even faster than Old Zhao.

The fat man inspected the trenches, not bothering to comment on their quality, good or bad. After all, these trenches were their lifelines; if anyone was careless, they would lose their own lives. It was pointless for outsiders to say more.

Actually, everyone except Old Zhao took his words to heart.

In this team, there could only be one voice. He didn't care about any party or army; as long as he was involved, he had to be the one in charge. If anyone dared to oppose him, then sorry, Fat Master would deal with you!

"You all did a pretty good job." The fat man smiled at the group, but then his expression changed as quickly as turning a page, from a smile to a cold face. He continued, "These trenches you built are your lifelines. You should test whether they can save your lives!"

"Are you really going to bombard us?" Even though Chen Gan had already guessed the fat man's intentions, hearing it directly was another matter. He had to ask the question he already knew the answer to.

"Of course, why did I have you build these trenches? Do you think I'm just doing it for fun?" The fat man laughed again. He had already anticipated that someone would try to stop him, but he didn't take it seriously. He continued with a smile, "If you're afraid of the bombardment, you can say 'I quit' and go back to where you came from. Then you won't have to face the bombardment."

"What if there's a mistake and someone gets hurt? Can you, a bandit, take responsibility for that?" Chen Gan's question was very practical. If the fat man's bombardment caused casualties, not only would the mission fail, but it would also create a deep grudge. Even if Tiger Mouth Mountain wasn't cleared by the Eighth Route Army, the label of "killing anti-Japanese soldiers and civilians" would make life difficult.

The fat man's smile grew wider. He had come from this army and knew better than Chen Gan what would happen if there was a mistake.

The word "mistake" was never in his dictionary because a mistake meant death. He had two more practical questions to ask Chen Gan and see how he would answer.

"Will the Japanese be afraid to fire at you for fear of injuring you? Will the Japanese take responsibility for injuring you?" the fat man asked.

"What kind of logic is that?" Chen Gan was stunned. Even in training, they wouldn't use live ammunition!

"Enough talk, Fat Master doesn't have time to waste. You have two choices: either take the bombardment or pack up and leave. Fat Master won't bother with you anymore!" The fat man left these words and turned to walk away.

In this era, doctors and medicine were often more valuable than human lives. As long as Chen Gan and his men still wanted his help to get the medicine, they had to listen to him.

In this temporary team, there could only be one voice.

"Chen Gan, I'm not saying this to you, but sigh, my big brother would never harm us. Listen to him, and you'll be fine." Colonel Ma himself was also nervous. This was real artillery. One wrong move, and they would be in pieces. He suddenly realized how fortunate the bandits were to do push-ups, at least they didn't have to worry about their lives.

"These trenches can protect against hand grenades and direct fire artillery. Why didn't my big brother bring mortars and grenade launchers? He's not sure himself and doesn't want to put us in mortal danger!" Colonel Ma added.

The fat man heard Colonel Ma's words clearly. He thought, damn it, this horse face is exposing my weaknesses. If you think I won't go all out, you're wrong.

So, the fat man said evilly to the group of Eighth Route Army soldiers, "By the way, Fat Master has never used the Japanese Type 92 infantry gun. It's a good opportunity to try it out and have some fun!"

"What!" Colonel Ma was stunned. Damn, he had just said good things about this black-hearted fat man, and now the fat man, who had never used the Type 92, was using them for target practice. This was just bullying.

Everyone in the trench was stunned. The fat man was firing for the first time, and his aim might be off. If a shell landed nearby, they would be dead.

Only Old Zhao looked indifferent, muttering, "I'm not scared. If you dare to fire, I'll kill you!"

"Brother-in-law, Monkey isn't ready to die yet. Can you not aim at me?" Monkey shouted. Although he believed the fat man wouldn't kill him, he was still worried about the bombardment. This was real artillery. He wanted to run but was afraid of being punished by the fat man. He still remembered the miserable situation of the bandits earlier.

"Comrades, we of the Eighth Route Army will not quit. Prepare for the bombardment." Chen Gan said with a helpless smile. He could only hope the trenches would work; otherwise, one shell would send all eight of them to meet the great Marx.

"Do we have to be so realistic?" The driver looked miserable. They were supposed to just drive, but now they had to face the bombardment. Was this a trick to deceive them? They were all too bad.

Monkey, Xiao Li, Lei Dabiao, and the others didn't have time to voice their opinions. They immediately lay down in the trenches, watching the fat man. They knew all too well whether he would really fire. This man had once faced thousands of Japanese and even flattened the No. 1 warehouse.

They also knew how devious the fat man was. No one dared to jump into the anti-mine ditch in advance. If they did, the fat man might throw a hand grenade, and if it landed in the trench and rolled into the anti-mine ditch, it would explode right next to them, leaving no chance of survival.

"Stop showing off. If he really dares to fire, I'll kill him!" Old Zhao cursed in the trench. He still didn't believe the fat man would play with their lives. As an old soldier, he knew the trenches had some tricks. Even if the fat man fired, as long as he jumped into the anti-mine ditch, only mortars and grenade launchers could hurt him. Direct fire artillery would need a massive bombardment to breach the trench.

Colonel Ma glared at the reckless man, while Chen Gan shook his head with a bitter smile. If the fat man really threw a Japanese hand grenade, it would land on the flat ground where Old Zhao was standing, not roll into the anti-mine ditch. Even if he lay down, he would still be hit, and it would be a close call.

Sometimes, the more you fear something, the more likely it is to happen.

The fat man walked to the long table, took off his straw hat, and put on a captured Japanese steel helmet. He put the hand grenades from the table into his pockets and walked back with a smile.

When the fat man was still dozens of meters away from the trench, Monkey saw his eyes smiling like crescent moons, his mouth wide open, and his expression so sweet...

"Oh my God!" Monkey immediately sensed something was wrong and, without thinking, lay down in the trench, covering his ears.

The fat man took a Japanese hand grenade from his pocket, pulled the pin, hit it on his helmet, and threw it toward the trench with all his might.

The hand grenade drew a parabolic arc, rolling in the air, flying farther and farther...

Old Zhao, with a half-smoked cigarette in his mouth, stared blankly at the hand grenade rolling in the air, getting closer and closer...

The hand grenade finally landed in front of Monkey's trench, not inside it. Then came a loud explosion, and smoke and dirt flew up, covering Monkey in the trench.

Old Zhao was still standing there, his face full of disbelief, his eyes wide like a bull's, his mouth wide open, the cigarette in his mouth falling out. He stared at Monkey in shock, as if the explosion had drained his spirit. His body went limp, and he sat down in the trench, slapping his chest, his face pale, exclaiming, "Oh my God, he... he really... really did it!"

---

The page flip AD starts

The page flip AD ends