roccoschili Chapter 425: Undercurrent: Lone Walker
Chapter 425: Undercurrent: Lone Walker
The wooden planks of the inn's second floor creaked slightly under the tense atmosphere. Meng Xiaoyu straightened up from the window and turned to look at Lei Tao, who was pulling out an M1911 pistol and replacing it with a 24-round extended-capacity magazine. "Brother Lei, how about you two wait here at the inn while I buy the train tickets?" Meng Xiaoyu offered. Lei Tao shook his head and refused decisively, "No, I can't let you take that risk. I can go alone." He knew the journey was fraught with danger. The train station was likely swarming with Japanese spies and sentries, and the slightest misstep would lead to danger. Although he had the Bagua Gyro Space System, bullets were blind, and he couldn't let the woman he loved be put in such a dangerous situation.
Meng Xiaoyu was about to say something else, but Lei Tao had already put away his pistol and walked quickly towards the door, saying, "All of you stay at the inn. Don't go anywhere. Wait for me to come back." Everyone understood Lei Tao's decision and nodded silently, watching him leave. Lei Tao stepped into the inn corridor, the wooden planks creaking slightly under his feet. He took a deep breath, suppressed his nervousness, and calmly walked towards the stairs.
Leaving the inn, feeling the afternoon sun's gentle warmth on his body, Lei Tao didn't act immediately. Instead, he walked to a streetside tea stall and waved to an old man in a straw hat, "Excuse me, a cup of tea." The old man's cloudy eyes swept over his neatly tailored suit, and he silently handed him a coarse porcelain bowl. When Lei Tao's fingertips touched the rim of the bowl, he noticed a thin layer of calluses on the old man's palms—the calluses from gripping a gun.
"It's a very dry day." Lei Tao covered his lips with his sleeve and lowered his voice very low. "Have you been cracking down on Japanese pirates recently?"
The old man paused in his table-wiping. His gaze, hidden in the shadow of his straw hat, darted past the Japanese sentry post on the corner. "Sir, are you from out of town? Just this afternoon, a truck took away three men in long gowns, accused of collaborating with the Eighth Route Army." He suddenly raised his voice. "Your shoes are polished to a shine. You can't walk on the muddy road. There's a wide stone bridge a mile to the west."
The tea rippled in the bowl. Lei Tao noticed the old man's thumb tapping the edge of the table three times as he spoke—the underground party's agreed-upon signal for someone secretly watching, indicating a "medium" level of danger. He tapped his fingertips lightly on the table in response, a silver dollar resting on the bottom of the bowl. "Thanks, old man. Is there a place to rest over there on the bridge?"
The old man collected the cashier's money expertly, his straw hat nodding slightly. "Under the second old locust tree at the bridgehead, there's plenty of tea." Turning, his sleeve brushed the back of Lei Tao's hand and slipped a note inside. Unfolding it, he saw crooked pencil writing: "Still the guards at the railway station have been changed. Three days ago, a wolfhound team was added. They have a keen sense of smell and specialize in targeting 'Chinese businessmen' in suits."
Suddenly, the sound of leather boots clattered around the corner. Lei Tao, clutching the note, silently sank into the shadows. As the Japanese patrol rounded the corner, he crumpled the note into a small ball in his palm. With a curl of his fingertips, he flicked the ball into the tea stove. The flames puffed across the paper, sending ash and the aroma of tea drifting into the air. The old man seemed oblivious, continuing to add charcoal to the copper kettle with his long-mouthed fire tongs. Sparks flickered on his deeply wrinkled face.
Lei Tao stood up from his stool and headed toward the station. After skirting several streets and alleys, he ducked behind a wall and peered through a crack in the wall to observe the station. The platform was packed with passengers waiting to board. Several uniformed Japanese soldiers, weapons in hand, glanced warily around. Taking a deep breath, Lei Tao blended into the throng and slowly approached the ticket window.
"Excuse me, do you have tickets to Tianjin?" Lei Tao tried to sound natural. The conductor looked up, his gaze resting on his face for a moment, then nodded. "Yes." Lei Tao was delighted and quickly took out a banknote: "Five, please." The conductor took the money, a flash of surprise in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and tore off five tickets and handed them over.
Just as Lei Tao turned to leave, a deep voice called out from behind: "Wait a moment!" He slowly turned around and met the sharp gaze of a Japanese soldier. "Are you going to Tianjin?" the soldier stared at the ticket, a sneer of contempt on his lips. Suppressing his uneasiness, Lei Tao replied in a Tokyo-accented Japanese: "Yes, sir, I'm an office worker for Mitsubishi Corporation, bound for the Kwantung Army headquarters in Manchuria on business."
The soldier snorted coldly: "There are a lot of counterfeits these days." Lei Tao took out a notebook from the inside pocket of his suit, revealing a pass issued by the Kwantung Army Headquarters: "Delaying the transportation of military supplies is no trivial matter." The soldier's eyes swept over the document. Although he didn't look at it carefully, he didn't make things difficult for him and waved his hand to signal him to leave.
Back at the inn, Lei Tao handed the ticket to Meng Xiaoyu: "Everything is ready, let's act according to the plan later." He turned and looked at everyone with a serious expression: "Once you get on the train, no one can be careless. There may be Japanese spies and traitors in the carriage." Everyone agreed in unison and began to pack their bags.