Chapter 50

Dong Ku glanced at the guard and knew that this Wang Association President must be of high rank, likely a high official of the puppet state or a Japanese collaborator. He decided to stay here. As he walked in, he asked, "When will your president be back?" "You... stop!" The guard's face changed, his hand resting on the box gun, barking fiercely but inwardly fearful, without opening the gun holster. When Dong Ku stepped into the gate, Liu Zhong understood his intention and followed closely, entering the courtyard. Upon entering the courtyard, there was a guard room to the right, where a guard was about to get up from the table. Without a word, Liu Zhong rushed into the guard room, pointing his rifle at the guard. The moment Liu Zhong moved, Dong Ku extended his hand, aiming his gun at the guard's head, forcing him into the guard room. Shunzi and Sun Tao quickly followed, looking around and dashing to the door leading to the back yard, drawing their daggers and hiding by the door. Shanzi called for Mazi and the others to quickly enter the courtyard, closing and securing the back door. At this point, the two guards in the guard room were stunned, unsure what the Japanese were up to. However, they both knew that the Japanese were unpredictable, and a misstep could cost them their lives, with no one to complain to. Dong Ku, gun in hand, forced the guard to retreat into the guard room and then asked, "Tell me, what is President Wang's name and what does he do?" "President Wang is the Governor of Binjiang Province, Wang Ziyuan..." The guard, arms outstretched, answered cautiously. Before he could finish, he suddenly realized something, hesitating, "You're not Japanese?" "Shut up!" Dong Ku waved his hand, striking him down with the butt of his gun and then snatched his box gun. Mazi entered the guard room at this moment, seeing Dong Ku in action, he stepped forward and disarmed the guard Liu Zhong was holding. Wang Ziyuan? The Governor of Binjiang Province in the puppet state, how did he also become an association president? Dong Ku remembered this person, but there wasn't much information, clearly not very "famous." "What does President Wang do for the Japanese?" Dong Ku asked coldly, putting away his gun. "President... Wang is responsible for preparing and mobilizing supplies for the Imperial Army..." The guard, sensing the danger, his eyes darting, answered cautiously. "Supply Mobilization Committee?" Dong Ku suddenly remembered this name. It was an organization set up by the puppet state to procure military supplies for the Japanese, officially under the Ministry of Economy. "Damn! This committee is just a blood-sucking department! Sucking the blood of the people or preparing supplies for the invaders!" Dong Ku cursed inwardly. He knew that the officials of the committee were in cahoots with the Japanese, oppressing the people and lining their own pockets, true collaborators! "Who is in the mansion now? How many guards and people are there, and where are they?" Understanding what Wang Ziyuan did, Dong Ku's voice became even colder. "In the mansion... there are a few concubines... and Lord Hu in the front yard and his apprentice Kai, a few cooks, servants, and others... the eldest and second sons... are out to welcome the Imperial Army..." The guard, enveloped by Dong Ku's cold aura, stuttered, sensing an ominous feeling. Dong Ku's eyes narrowed, pointing to the other guard, "You, tell me everything about Wang Ziyuan and his family, including the guards and servants, don't leave anything out!" "President... he..." The guard realized these "Taikuns" were not good people and, seeing the finger pointed at him, stammered... One by one, in less than ten minutes, the two guards recounted all the dirty deeds of the Wang family. Wang Ziyuan not only worked for the Japanese but also oppressed and abused the people, and each guard had several lives on their hands. This made Liu Zhong and Mazi's teeth itch, and they understood why Dong Ku ordered that all those who worked for the Japanese should not be spared; they were indeed no good. When the two guards had nothing more to say, Dong Ku stepped forward, grabbed the head of the one sitting on the ground, and with a twist, snapped his neck. The other guard didn't even have time to scream before Mazi did the same, silencing his cry. "Clear all the guards, not one left!" Dong Ku said, pulling out camouflage grease made from wild boar fat and applying it to his face. "What about the family and servants?" Liu Zhong asked, pulling out the grease. "Order! Clear all the guards! Those who haven't committed crimes or taken lives, detain them and release them after we leave. We are not murderers, we don't harm ordinary people!" After giving the order, he looked at the gathered men, pulled out a crossbow from his backpack, and slung the gun holster Liu Zhong handed him. With a wave of his hand, he ordered the clearing of the mansion. Sun Tao and Huzi stayed to guard the back door, while the others quietly moved to the front yard. "Who are you?" A large, muscular man holding two iron balls, jingling, didn't finish his sentence before Shanzi's crossbow, with a twang, shot an arrow into his forehead, causing the iron balls to clatter to the ground. Shanzi and Dog Egg rushed to the door, and before the guard in the guard room could react, another arrow shot through, killing him, and they bolted the door. Dong Ku and the others, with crossbows in hand, entered each room, quickly clearing all the unlocked rooms amidst the screams of the women and servants, controlling the telephone, and binding the six concubines and ten servants into one room, with Mazi left to guard them. Dong Ku looked at the bound concubines and asked in broken Chinese with a Russian accent, "Who is the first concubine?" The six beautiful women looked at each other in fear, their mouths gagged, but five pairs of eyes focused on a woman in her thirties. "Are you Shen Cui'e?" Dong Ku asked coldly. "Mmm..." The woman mumbled, first shaking her head, then nodding, unsure what this masked man wanted. Dong Ku ignored her, confirmed, and turned to leave. The moment Dong Ku left, Mazi stepped forward, grabbed the woman who had lost control of her bladder, and walked out. At this point, the Wang family mansion, except for the ten killers, had no free people. "Shen Cui'e, where are the things Wang Ziyuan plundered?" "I... I don't know... Master never let me touch..." Shen Cui'e, losing her usual composure, spoke in a trembling voice, afraid to raise her voice. "Did you kill a female student from Tangyuan with a hairpin?" Dong Ku's voice was cold and emotionless. "I didn't mean to... I didn't..." "Hmm!" Dong Ku slowly squatted down, "I know you didn't mean to, but you have six lives on your hands. Go and talk to them." With that, without waiting for the woman to react, he reached out and crushed her throat, not even looking at her as he stood up and said, "I didn't mean to either." Standing up, Dong Ku ordered, "Search the mansion!" Liu Zhong and the others nodded silently, crossbows in hand, and quickly left the living room. Dong Ku, with Shunzi, headed to Wang Ziyuan's study, where he believed the most likely place to hide items would be. Entering the already open room, Dong Ku looked around at the room filled with antiques and paintings. He couldn't take these items, but he knew they were treasures of China and should not be left to the Japanese. He didn't touch anything, just looking for clues. The room was a study, with a few shelves of antiques, a desk with drawers, and a chair covered in tiger skin. Dong Ku's gaze swept over a Guanyin shrine by the wall, focusing on the stone Guanyin inside. This Guanyin didn't match the opulence of the room; by Dong Ku's reasoning, it should be made of gold or jade to fit in. Shunzi put away his crossbow and circled the large desk, but didn't touch anything. As Shunzi moved around, Dong Ku slowly approached, carefully examining the incense burner and the stone Guanyin with incense ash. When his eyes passed over the stone Guanyin, he smiled faintly. The back of the Guanyin was wooden, with a small, inconspicuous knot in the corner of the shrine. If his guess was correct, this was the mechanism. Dong Ku signaled Shunzi to be careful, then gently pressed the slightly smooth, ash-free knot, feeling it sink slightly, and increased the pressure, pressing it down. Shunzi, watching Dong Ku, didn't know what would happen, but suddenly felt a movement behind him. He turned around, and the crossbow was instantly aimed at the source of the movement. Dong Ku slowly withdrew his finger, and before he could check the surroundings, Shunzi called out, "There's a hidden door." Dong Ku turned and walked over, standing behind the chair, carefully observing the door in the wall, about half a meter high. After a moment, confirming there were no traps, he signaled Shunzi to call someone, then slowly descended the steps. Shunzi, seeing Liu Hai outside, waved him over to guard the door, then descended the hidden passage with his crossbow. As soon as he went down, he saw Dong Ku in the darkness, making several gestures. "Someone!" Shunzi stopped his foot, lightly stepping down, carefully approaching Dong Ku. Dong Ku, listening intently, heard a faint sound ahead, definitely made by a person. The presence of someone in the hidden passage made Dong Ku's heart race, and he cautiously moved towards the source of the sound. On the ground floor, Liu Zhong and the others had finished searching, gathering all the jewelry and valuables from the rooms into the living room, filling a large box. Shanzi and Dog Egg, dressed as guards, stood watch at the front gate, ready for any unexpected events. Hu Sun Tao still guarded the back door, waiting for Wang Ziyuan's return. Dong Ku, following the stone wall, reached a door, the sound coming from behind it, faint and fleeting, but not escaping his sharp hearing. In the darkness, Dong Ku signaled Shunzi, carefully pulling open the door. Shunzi's figure flashed, aiming his crossbow inside. At that moment, a gust of wind suddenly blew, and before Shunzi could react, his crossbow was struck, the bowstring twanging, the arrow flying into the darkness, clanging against something. Then, a black shadow rushed towards his open chest. "Not good!" Dong Ku's body tensed, suddenly exerting force, but the black shadow was incredibly fast, and he couldn't block it in time...