Chapter 61

Yang Jingyu frowned slightly, glanced at the injured Fei Lei who was being supported, and then looked at the two square cloth bundles that Dong Ku handed over. He clearly sensed Dong Ku's hostility towards Fei Lei, or perhaps towards the Communist International, but also felt his friendliness towards the anti-Japanese forces and himself. He knew that at this moment, proposing that this mysterious armed group join the National Anti-Japanese Army would be inappropriate, especially since it would be difficult to mediate between Fei Lei, who had just returned from abroad, and the others. Moreover, the well-trained men would cause significant trouble if a conflict arose.

Taking a deep breath, he suppressed the idea of absorbing Dong Ku's group and reached out to take the cloth bundles. Just as he was about to politely suggest another meeting, the weight of the bundles nearly made him drop them.

"Hmm?"

He tightened his arms, steadied his grip, and immediately made a judgment.

"Gold bars!!"

He looked at Dong Ku in surprise. The weight indicated that there were at least 30 to 40 kilograms of gold, which was not just a few guns. Although guns were hard to obtain, 40 kilograms of gold was worth about 130,000 to 140,000 silver dollars at the current exchange rate!

Dong Ku, without waiting for a response, released his grip and said, "General Yang, this is our contribution to the anti-Japanese cause. Please leave quickly to avoid being caught by the Japanese reinforcements. Fortunately, they don't have radios, but it's still best to leave as soon as possible."

Taking a deep breath, Yang Jingyu held the two cloth bundles and called to one of the men cleaning up the battlefield, "Cheng Bin, you and Zhang Yang are responsible for carrying these two bundles. Maintain discipline."

"Yes!"

The man who had run back with a long gun to clean up the battlefield put down his weapon, called to someone in the crowd, and walked towards Yang Jingyu.

Yang Jingyu then ordered, "Take all the guns and ammunition on the ground. We will leave immediately."

"Yes!"

Several men in tattered clothes, standing in the crowd, loudly acknowledged the order. Under Fei Lei's angry and resentful gaze, they quickly approached the pile of guns and ammunition and began to collect them efficiently.

Just as Dong Ku was about to signal Liu Zhong and the others to leave and talk to Yang Jingyu alone, a name flashed in his mind, a name Yang Jingyu had just called.

"Your name is Cheng Bin??"

Dong Ku's muscles tensed, his hand already on his pistol, and the killing intent he exuded was even felt by Yang Jingyu.

"Um... Yes, I am called Cheng Bin."

The man was startled, sensing Dong Ku's hostility, and instinctively stopped, looking at the masked expert with confusion.

Liu Zhong and the others, sensing Dong Ku's intention to act, all placed their hands on the pistols at their waists, creating a tense atmosphere.

The tension made everyone uncertain, tightening their grip on their weapons but unsure whether to raise them.

Fei Lei's eyes flashed with a cold light, signaling his men to prepare for battle.

Yang Jingyu was also startled, then stepped forward, placing himself between Cheng Bin and Dong Ku. He handed the bundles to Cheng Bin and said, "I, Yang, thank you for your great contribution to the National Anti-Japanese Army. Let's part ways today, and I look forward to the day we can fight the Japanese together."

"Phew..."

Dong Ku understood the meaning in Yang Jingyu's words and instantly calmed down. He couldn't tell Yang Jingyu that although Cheng Bin was his most trusted man, he would later disband the First Army and force him into a desperate situation.

After calming down, Dong Ku quickly made some gestures. When Liu Zhong and the others disappeared into the bushes, he clasped his hands and said, "General Yang, let's part ways here. We will surely meet again on the anti-Japanese battlefield, and I will fulfill my wish to fight alongside you. Also, please communicate more with those who have returned from the Soviet Union to avoid losses due to rigid adherence to doctrine." He then looked deeply at Cheng Bin and said, "You can call me Red Mountain Tiger. Our anti-Japanese group is called Tiger Tooth. Take care, and we will meet again."

With that, he turned and sprinted away, disappearing in a few moments.

Fei Lei, after Dong Ku disappeared, endured the pain and said coldly, "Old Zhang, they are a band of bandits, calling themselves Tiger Tooth and Red Mountain Tiger, with all the habits of bandits."

"Red Mountain Tiger... Tiger Tooth..." Yang Jingyu ignored Fei Lei, repeating the names to himself. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he understood their meaning.

The red Siberian tiger, with its sharp teeth, can tear apart any prey!

Could he have been part of the organization? Could he have left because he couldn't accept the cadres returning from the Soviet Union? Yang Jingyu leaned towards this explanation. Otherwise, he wouldn't know his alias or his current position, and wouldn't use the color red to name himself.

Quickly summarizing all the information in his mind, although the appearance of Red Mountain Tiger had startled him, the guns and gold were enough to help him overcome his current difficulties and provide a solid foundation for the anti-Japanese forces. With the two machine guns, he had no reason to doubt that Red Mountain Tiger would eventually become a capable general in the revolutionary army.

"We withdraw!"

Seeing the almost naked bodies, Yang Jingyu waved his hand to order the withdrawal from the battlefield, ending the ten-minute cleanup. This place was too unsafe.

Fei Lei and the others also knew they couldn't stay, so they quickly followed and moved away.

Cheng Bin, influenced by Dong Ku's killing intent, felt a shock when he realized what the heavy objects in the bundles were. He carefully followed another man to carry the gold, and they ran away with the group.

After rejoining Liu Zhong and the others in the bushes, the group quickly ran towards the mountain. Reaching the top, Dong Ku observed the terrain and saw that the sun was about to set. He turned and ordered, "Rest here, maintain vigilance. Tomorrow, cross the road and enter Black Mountain. Tiger Tooth will be responsible for all affairs. Try to avoid using crossbows and leave no traces of Tiger Tooth in this area."

"Yes!"

Liu Zhong quietly acknowledged the order but then looked at Dong Ku with suspicion, clearly sensing that he had more to say.

Dong Ku glanced at the direction they came from and said, "I have some matters to attend to. Rest and maintain vigilance, no need to wait for me. We will meet at Black Bear Gorge." With that, he leaped and quickly disappeared into the forest.

Cheng Bin must be killed. A dog cannot change its nature; he won't leave this trouble behind. If he can change General Yang's fate, it could almost turn the tide of the Northeastern resistance.

Dong Ku ran quickly, M4A1 in hand, silencer attached. He knew that if he killed Cheng Bin directly, he would become the enemy of the National Anti-Japanese Army, becoming...

After all, at this moment, Cheng Bin was still quite capable and would soon follow Yang Jingyu in several successful battles, eventually becoming a division commander. He couldn't tell everyone that Cheng Bin would betray them in a few years. Who would believe him?

Based on his judgment, Dong Ku quickly found the trail of Yang Jingyu's group. Without hesitation, he moved through the forest and caught up with the group in less than half an hour.

As night approached, Dong Ku moved to the side of the group, lying down in a position with a clear view.

In the crosshairs, faces flashed by. Dong Ku's breathing was steady and slow as he searched for Cheng Bin, whom he had only seen once.

Yang Jingyu's group moved silently, no longer worried about food with the supplies from the Japanese and puppet troops. With so many weapons and ammunition, their safety was secured by the two machine guns, avoiding the previous situation where only the enemy could attack them, but they couldn't reach the enemy.

As they moved, Cheng Bin, carrying about 20 kilograms of gold, was unaware that his temple was locked in the crosshairs.

You can die now! Your death will save many anti-Japanese martyrs and prevent General Yang from dying in the mountains!

Dong Ku's heart was calm, steadily locking onto the target and pulling the trigger.

Puff!

A soft sound, the bullet grazed the grass, exited the bushes, and without hesitation, drilled into the target's temple, breaking through the opposite side and disappearing into the distance, leaving a cloud of blood.

Cheng Bin's body paused, then slowly fell to the ground.

"Be careful!"

The soldier behind him instinctively reached out to support him, but his eyes saw the cloud of blood that had not yet dissipated.

"There are enemies ambushing us!"

He shouted, not stopping to help Cheng Bin, and quickly lay down in the grass.

His shout immediately caused chaos in the group. Everyone quickly crouched down, searching for the target.

After the chaos, the surroundings were still quiet, except for the faint smell of blood and the body of Cheng Bin lying there.

Confirming that the target had been shot in the temple, Dong Ku quickly put away his gun and disappeared into the night.

After a brief chaos, Yang Jingyu crouched and ran to the scene. Seeing Cheng Bin, who had died without pain, his heart ached, and his hand crushed the dry branches on the ground.

This was a gunshot wound; he wouldn't make a mistake. The loss of a capable assistant didn't break him, but he quickly determined it was a gunshot. He hadn't heard the shot, indicating the use of a silenced pistol, and the distance was no more than 50 meters.

"Search the area within 50 meters in that direction. This isn't an ambush; it's an assassination!" The quickly calmed General Yang ordered in a low voice.

Fei Lei looked at Cheng Bin, who had been shot in the head and was lying on the ground, his eyes full of fear. The silent death made him nervous, not knowing where the enemy was or how many there were, causing him to instinctively shrink back and squeeze into the crowd.

Suddenly, a thought flashed in his mind, and he blurted out, "It's Red Mountain Tiger! Only they could get close to us without being noticed!!"

Yang Jingyu, looking at the figure disappearing into the forest, his eyes narrowed, and his gaze turned sharp, also pointing the finger at Dong Ku.

He had witnessed the stealth of Red Mountain Tiger, who had approached him without being noticed, even under the cover of gunfire. But he hadn't noticed them.

Why did he assassinate Cheng Bin? Cheng Bin was just an excellent anti-Japanese fighter, not as valuable as Fei Lei. But Yang Jingyu still suspected Dong Ku because he had felt the killing intent when they last parted. It was a feeling he wouldn't be wrong about. He hadn't felt that cold killing intent when Fei Lei pointed a gun at Red Mountain Tiger, but he had felt it when he asked Cheng Bin's name.

The rustling of branches, six searchers returned and reported, "No traces within 100 meters."

No traces? Yang Jingyu was startled. A pistol couldn't accurately hit a target from such a distance, one shot to the head, there must be another weapon.

Red Mountain Tiger, who are you? Was this your doing?

Yang Jingyu gazed at the silent Cheng Bin, his mind filled with thoughts...