Chapter 20

When the sky had just brightened, it was not yet six o'clock, and the Japanese troops in Beehive Mountain had already surrounded a five-kilometer radius around the explosion site. There were binoculars on the high points of the mountains, and groups of soldiers with wolf dogs were searching for clues on the ground below.

The entire morning passed, but the thorough search yielded no results. The ground was covered with footprints left by the Japanese troops themselves. It seemed that the "American soldiers" who caused the explosion had also vanished in the blast.

This was not due to the search teams' negligence or the lack of ski tracks; rather, the intense explosion had scattered dead branches and leaves over a one to two-kilometer radius, creating holes in the snow from the fragments of guns and rocks. Most importantly, the snow on the trees had been shaken off by the explosion, covering all traces within a twenty-kilometer radius. The ski tracks, which were not very deep, had completely disappeared in the falling snow. Within twenty kilometers, apart from the tracks left by fleeing rabbits and squirrels, there were no other clues.

As for the scent, these well-trained wolf dogs could not detect the human scent due to the interference of the powdered chervil, so they showed no signs of finding any clues.

When the technical personnel from the Special Higher Police arrived at the scene, they collected sixteen special cartridge cases and discovered an important clue: the explosive used was not black powder, which could rule out the homemade explosives of the Chinese. This was military-grade TNT. As experienced professionals, they would not make a mistake on this point.

However, this mysterious team used an American gun, but why did they use Japanese grenades? The pull rings were all made by the Great Japanese Empire. Additionally, there were no bloodstains left on the sniping position on the mountain top, indicating that there were no casualties at the sniping position before the explosion.

Unfortunately, no one could answer these questions. After a day of searching a twenty-kilometer radius, the final conclusion was that this mysterious team had perished along with Fuji and Ono in the explosion, leaving no traces on the snow. The idea that the team had left before the explosion was not considered by anyone present, including the higher-ups, because it was impossible for nearly three hundred troops to attack and for the team to escape easily without pursuit by Fuji and his men. Moreover, the time from the first gunshots and explosions to the major explosion was less than an hour, during which the team could not have reached a location ten kilometers away from the explosion site. Thus, the conclusion that they had perished together was confirmed.

Leaving aside the Japanese troops' busy activities in Beehive Mountain, Dong Ku led Liu Zhong and his group through a long journey and arrived at the Ewenki tribe's camp at night. After a night and a day and a half of frantic travel, they returned safely after resting for only three hours.

Mo Rigen was surprised to see the large amount of ammunition, machine guns, and small cannons they brought back. Apart from arranging for them to eat and rest, he did not ask too many questions.

In one of the yurts, Liu Zhong and Hu Zi were pulled aside by Shun Zi and the others, who excitedly told them about their experiences over the past eight or nine days. Hu Zi was so eager that he was practically itching to go out again and join them next time.

In another yurt, Dong Ku did not go to sleep immediately but lay there thinking.

He knew that this Ewenki tribe, with fewer than two hundred people, could not resist the Japanese troops. With the elderly, women, and children as a burden, they could not even deal with a standard army squad. Therefore, they had to leave to avoid the traces of their training and movements being discovered by the Japanese, which could bring more trouble to this already suffering tribe.

With less than two months before the snow melted, he had to turn Liu Zhong and the others into real soldiers and teach them all the tactical skills, even if it meant cramming them.

As for finding the organization, Dong Ku knew that this remote area was only a site of underground activities, and the organization had not yet emerged to openly resist the Japanese. For now, he had to put the plan to find the organization on hold and focus on cultivating the seeds of resistance.

As for the training location, he had already decided on it during the journey. It was near Yanwo Island, which would later be known as the largest wetland nature reserve in the country. He had undergone over a month of wilderness survival training there. Even in the future, the area was characterized by numerous rivers and sparse population, let alone now. Currently, only Jiaopi Gou and Qitaihe had Japanese troops, and along the route to the river, only Dahu Town near Zhenbao Island, a small town with a population of a thousand, had a garrison.

With less than 20,000 bullets and nine people, Dong Ku believed that those with a hunting background could be turned into standard soldiers.

He thought about it until midnight, organized all his plans, and then fell into a deep sleep...

"Brother Dong, why are we going to Heizui Zi?"

On the snow, Hu Zi, wearing clean clothes, moved his shoulders uncomfortably and asked as they walked.

"Call me 'Boss.'"

Dong Ku, looking like a businessman, whispered a reprimand.

"But there's no one else around yet..."

Hu Zi stuck out his tongue and mumbled, not daring to ask again.

Sun Tao reached out and patted Hu Zi's head, saying, "Remember what Boss said. Be smart and talk less. We're not here to play..."

Mang Zi, dressed as a laborer, followed Sun Tao, who was similarly dressed, pulling a sled. The four of them walked along the road toward Anle Town, which would soon be known as Hulin.

At the checkpoint, Dong Ku simply handed over a box of cigarettes and was easily let through. They safely entered Anle Town, and Dong Ku led the three to the Northeastern Old Restaurant.

"Welcome, sir, please come in..."

The waiter greeted them warmly.

Dong Ku did not speak, but stepped inside. Without waiting for the waiter to ask, he saw the second boss behind the counter and threw a silver dollar to the waiter, saying, "This is a tip. Take my men upstairs. Serve them whatever they want. I'll talk business with your second boss."

"Sure thing!" The waiter's face turned red with excitement, and he shouted, "Four seats upstairs!" He gestured, "Please go upstairs, gentlemen."

Hu Zi looked around curiously, like Liu Laolao entering the Grand View Garden, and did not step forward despite the waiter's shout. Sun Tao noticed and gently nudged him, moving forward half a step without showing any emotion.

Hu Zi immediately realized he was the boss's assistant and asked, "What are the specialties here?"

"Take your time," the waiter said with a smile, leading the way. "We have braised pork knuckle, braised pig's face, braised pork, chicken stewed with mushrooms, stir-fried pork loin..."

Dong Ku did not pay attention to them. As Hu Zi spoke, he got up and walked to the counter.

Before he reached the counter, the second boss, who had met him once before, noticed him and looked at him with narrowed eyes, saying nothing.

Dong Ku came to the counter, bowed, and said, "Boss, I'm here to bother you again."

"Ha ha..." The second boss laughed and said, "We welcome all customers. What brings you here today?"

"Boss, besides eating, I also want to talk some business..."

Dong Ku smiled faintly, his sharp and handsome face full of sincerity.

"Oh? What kind of business?"

The second boss leaned forward, half-reclining on the counter, and stared at Dong Ku.

"Take a look. I know the boss of this restaurant has connections. Can you get these things for me?"

Saying this, he handed him a stack of paper.

The second boss glanced at the paper and then at Dong Ku before casually looking down.

"You want to start a factory here?"

The second boss looked at Dong Ku suspiciously.

Dong Ku nodded and said firmly, "I have this plan. Can you get these things for me?"

The second boss looked deeply at Dong Ku, raised his hand, and called a waiter to watch the counter. He turned to Dong Ku and said, "Wait a moment."

Dong Ku knew he was going to consult the boss, so he nodded and stood there without speaking.

The second boss turned and entered the door behind the counter, pulling down the curtain and disappearing.

Upstairs, Hu Zi, acting like an assistant, ordered dishes one by one, occasionally asking Sun Tao if he wanted to eat them.

Sun Tao ordered a roasted chicken for Mang Zi, a braised pork knuckle, and a stir-fried pork loin for himself, leaving the rest to Hu Zi to arrange. However, every time Hu Zi asked him, he subtly suggested what to order.

In no time, a table of ten hot dishes and four cold dishes was ready, but no drinks were ordered. This was not because Mang Zi and Sun Tao did not want to drink, but because Dong Ku had reiterated the discipline on the way: eat freely, but no drinking at all.

Leaving aside the few upstairs waiting for the dishes, Dong Ku did not wait long downstairs. Before the dishes were served upstairs, the curtain behind the counter was lifted, and the second boss returned, but this time he was empty-handed and accompanied by a middle-aged man of about the same age, who had a fierce look and eagle-like eyes, clearly a skilled expert.

"Follow me."

The second boss did not waste words, directly lifting the panel beside the counter.

Dong Ku quickly glanced at the other man as he appeared. This glance made him secretly alarmed. This was another skilled expert, and unlike the second boss, this man had a powerful gait and well-developed muscles, indicating he practiced hard external martial arts. When he saw the man's hand from the corner of his eye, his previous judgment was confirmed. The man practiced iron palm, with rough, slightly black hands and short, almost flat fingers, clearly the result of soaking in medicinal water and iron sand.

It seems the boss here is indeed extraordinary. I wonder which faction he belongs to...

Dong Ku nodded slightly without showing any emotion, got up, and followed the two men into the inner room...

PS: Chervil, a perennial herb found in the northeastern forests, has a highly toxic root system and stem. Its strong and unpleasant odor keeps herbivores away, and accidental ingestion can be fatal to adult cattle.