Chapter 57

The explosion succeeded without any mishap. A bright light illuminated the sky from a distance, and the flames sent smoke and dust billowing several meters high, rolling over and swallowing the streetlights nearby.

The searchlights on the watchtower by the Song River were momentarily stunned by the explosion, then quickly focused on the explosion site. However, the thick smoke obscured everything, and no sound could be heard from within.

The alarm sirens sounded across Jiamusi within seconds of the explosion. Military vehicles rumbled towards the settlement of the development team, and Japanese soldiers, armed and ready, rushed to the explosion site.

Dongku was about to observe the direction of the smoke when Shunzi grabbed his hand and said urgently, "Let's go!"

"No! We need to gather these wires!"

Dongku struggled, then calmly began to gather the telephone wires.

Seeing they couldn't leave immediately, Shunzi stood guard with his gun, while Sun Tao helped pull the wires.

The two quickly gathered over two thousand meters of wire in less than five minutes.

During this time, Dongku kept an eye on the rolling smoke. After the shockwave subsided, the smoke, before reaching the open area, was dispersed by the southwest wind, slowly drifting northeast.

"Let's go!"

Dongku pulled off his towel, slung the wire bundle over his back, and quickly dashed into the alley, heading straight for the Wang family's house.

Shunzi and Sun Tao, each with a Mauser pistol, followed closely behind, running at full speed. Before the distant flashlight beams could reach them, they darted through the alleys like ghosts, reaching the back door of the Wang family's house in less than ten minutes amidst the rumbling of trucks.

Before Dongku could knock, the door was silently opened.

Dongku stepped inside first, heading straight for the study.

Mengzi, seeing the breathless Sun Tao and Shunzi enter, quickly closed the door and bolted it.

In the study, the windows were shattered, and a kerosene lamp was lit. Everyone was ready, but no one had entered the secret passage.

As soon as Dongku entered, he asked, "Have the wires been cut?"

"Cut. The wires entering the stone wall have been handled, and no one can see them. I even cut the wires entering the study to avoid leaving any traces," Shanzi said, standing straight with the radio and backpack.

"Good. Everyone, enter the secret room. Mengzi, carry Water Linglong."

As Dongku spoke, he opened the hidden door and took the stone Guanyin from the shrine. The stone Guanyin had a small protrusion at the bottom, which pressed a small button. Without the Guanyin, the mechanism inside couldn't be opened. Only by placing the stone Guanyin back could the door be opened from the outside.

The moment Dongku lifted the Guanyin, Mengzi, with a flushed face, said, "I... won't carry... who will carry, I'll carry their backpack."

Dongku was taken aback. Today, everyone seemed to be defying orders. This was the third time his command had been disobeyed.

He was a bit angry, but as his gaze swept over the evasive eyes, he suddenly understood. This wasn't the future; people were still quite "honest" back then, especially in the mountains. How could a man carry a woman before marriage?

"Alright, Mengzi, carry my backpack. The rest, enter the secret room. I'll carry her."

Dongku's words relieved everyone, even Liu Zhong straightened up, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of carrying her.

Relieved, everyone quickly entered the hidden door. Dongku, holding the kerosene lamp, carefully examined the surroundings, then walked to the shrine and blew hard. As the incense ash swirled, he quickly retreated to the hidden door and turned to enter.

After closing the secret room door, Dongku applied camouflage paint, then stood up and went to Water Linglong's room. "Water Linglong, I'll carry you out. Once we're clear, you can go on your own." He pushed the door open, loosened her feet, covered her eyes with a black cloth, bent down to carry her, and secured her upper body with a gun strap. He then lifted her legs and walked out of the room.

Water Linglong knew there were about ten people outside, and they seemed to have no ill intentions. Though embarrassed, she had to endure it as Dongku carried her.

However, as a woman, her leg muscles tightened from Dongku's large hands, and the manly scent in her nostrils made her heart race and her breathing labored. She felt dizzy and struggled to breathe.

When Dongku left the room, the others had already put on their camouflage uniforms and painted their faces. Seeing Dongku, Shunzi led the way, and the group quickly moved.

As Dongku and his team ran back to the Wang family's courtyard, chaos reigned in the development team's settlement. The southwest wind carried the toxic dust northeast, and along the way, people clutched their throats and fell to the ground, struggling in pain before dying with blisters on their faces.

The same happened in the military camp. Hearing the explosion, all the Japanese soldiers quickly grabbed their weapons and rushed to the courtyard. They didn't know that the drifting dust was a death sentence. In the dark, with the dust obscuring their view, by the time they realized they were having difficulty breathing, they had already inhaled large amounts of toxic gas and fell dead without a sound.

Almost silently, over a thousand Japanese soldiers in two camps died. The poor also suffered similarly. The slowly drifting dust seeped into every crevice, quickly filling the houses with toxic gas, causing the ronin, who had been jolted awake, to die painfully on the tatami mats.

The Japanese soldiers on guard at the gate were stunned by the intense explosion. As the flames subsided and the dust rose, they rushed to the explosion site with their guns.

One soldier, running, suddenly felt a burning pain in his throat, followed by difficulty breathing. His lungs felt heavy, and he stopped in fear, dropping his gun.

The soldiers behind him also felt the burning in their throats. Unfortunately, before they could figure out what was happening, they lost the ability to speak, fell to the ground, and convulsed, then lay still.

Amidst the rumbling of trucks, a nearby patrol team was the first to reach the checkpoint, opened the barrier, and rushed inside.

A more experienced sergeant, seeing the convulsing bodies in the flashlight beams, ordered a halt, set up a perimeter, and sent two soldiers to investigate.

At that moment, the shockwave had dissipated, and a gentle breeze was blowing the dust eastward. One soldier shone a flashlight, while the other held a gun, cautiously approaching the bodies. Suddenly, they ran back, covering their mouths and noses like frightened rabbits.

"Baka!"

The sergeant slapped the fleeing soldier.

"Hai!"

The soldier stood at attention and said fearfully, "Poison gas!"

"Poison gas?!"

The sergeant, startled, instinctively covered his mouth and nose, ordered a retreat to the checkpoint, and grabbed the phone in the guardhouse.

Nan Jiro was reading documents when the explosion occurred. He had just ordered an investigation when the phone rang...

"What?! Poison gas? Quickly call the decontamination team, don't approach there!!"

Just as he gave the order, he remembered the gas would spread. He found a gas mask in his drawer and ordered, "Check the wind direction, move the troops along the wind direction, and quickly retreat from the front. Act fast!!" He put on the gas mask and rushed out.

As he left his office, the checkpoint in front of the development team's camp was already crowded with trucks and panicked soldiers.

They had been trained, though without gas masks, they knew wet towels could mitigate the effects of the gas. They retreated in panic, wetting their towels and covering their mouths and noses.

As time passed, the dust slowly settled. Before the decontamination team arrived, the gas had already drifted away from the residential area, moving into the night sky.

While the Japanese were in chaos, Dongku and his team had already quickly reached the entrance to the passage.

Dongku signaled to turn off the flashlights and put on gas masks. He tied a wet towel around his face, took the last gas mask, and said softly, "Water Linglong, I'll put the gas mask on you to avoid poisoning. It might feel a bit stuffy at first, but you'll get used to it." He removed the black cloth covering her eyes, put the gas mask on her, and secured the carbon filter box on her waist, then ordered the opening of the passage.

Water Linglong's hands were still tied, but she knew the man carrying her was skilled. She chose to endure and cooperate.

Shunzi slowly pushed the stone slab on the ceiling. As the air rushed out, the slab was slowly pushed aside. Liu Zhong, seeing a gap wide enough for a person, leaped out, rolled, and quickly checked the surroundings, signaling that it was safe to leave.

The group filed out and quickly left the tunnel. Dongku, still carrying Water Linglong, realized their location. The tunnel exit was near the riverbank in the eastern part of the city. Though they couldn't see the river, they could see the scattered lights from the development team's settlement.

Dongku didn't put Water Linglong down but quickly signaled to cover the tunnel entrance. Liu Zhong and the others, experienced hunters, knew how to cover their tracks. They slowly retreated from the entrance, using knives to lift and cover the grass, and followed Dongku eastward after moving about twenty to thirty meters.

Dongku couldn't see the gas, but he knew it wouldn't be too concentrated here. As long as it wasn't inhaled, it wouldn't be fatal.

While running, he suddenly stopped, lunging forward. Water Linglong's soft body pressed against his back, and she let out a muffled groan, but the mask muffled the sound.

The others, not knowing what happened, quickly took cover, watching the front warily.

In the dim starlight, a faint light flickered ahead. Liu Zhong, through the mask, had a limited and distorted view. Before they could determine what it was, Dongku slowly released Water Linglong and took out a night vision device.

In the night vision, the figures were Japanese soldiers, but none were alive. The light was from bayonets.

Dongku, understanding the situation, realized the wind had not changed direction. He quickly untied Water Lingong's hands and removed her eye covering, saying, "Water Linglong, don't take off the gas mask. Follow us, and once we're out of the toxic area, you can choose where to go."

Water Linglong, once her hands were free, hesitated and didn't move. She saw that everyone except the speaker was wearing strange headgear, which must be the gas masks.

Seeing Water Linglong's cooperation, Dongku turned and made some gestures, saying softly, "Move quickly, follow the wind direction. We need to run thirty kilometers before dawn and cross Huachuan."

Liu Zhong and the others didn't fully understand Dongku's plan but trusted him. They got up and ran forward.

PS: Bowing to thank gh-1 for the tip, and to thank Menghuan Haide, Gan Zhi Yan Hua, and other friends for their support. Thank you, thank you!

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