The Mysterious Soldier of the Anti-Japanese War

Chapter 317 Dazhuhe Town: Searching for the Team, Reunion, and Prelude to Suppressing Bandits

"Have you heard? The militia is going to suppress the bandits and is now organizing troops to attack the bandit Zhu Erba's stronghold. It is said that this is because the bandits have been too arrogant recently and often come down the mountain to rob the people." A bearded man said, looking around vigilantly as he spoke.

Another tall and thin man took a sip of tea and continued, "Hmph, I don't think it's that simple. I heard that a few days ago, Zhu Erba was so audacious that he kidnapped the daughter of the newly appointed mayor and brought her back to the stronghold, wanting her to be his wife. For this purpose, he even killed several of the mayor's guards." He also deliberately lowered his voice for fear of being heard by others.

The bearded man continued, "Do you think their militia will be successful in suppressing the bandits this time? You should know that the local security group has surrounded and suppressed the bandits several times, but they have never been able to wipe out Zhu Erba. Instead, the more they suppress him, the more bandits there are!" He frowned, his face full of worry.

The tall and thin man continued, "So, this time the mayor organized a militia with money and supplies from merchants to fight the bandits. I heard that he also invited a few people from Chongqing called 'Youming' to help with the suppression of the bandits." He came closer to the bearded man and spoke mysteriously.

The bearded man was surprised and asked hurriedly, "'Youming'? Where does it come from? Is it reliable?" He stared at the tall and thin man with wide eyes and curiosity.

The tall, thin man lowered his voice mysteriously, "I'm not too sure. I just heard those guys are pretty powerful. They're helping catch Japanese spies in Chongqing. They're so elusive, the Japanese spies are all afraid of them. This time, the mayor has invested heavily, probably hoping to get rid of Zhu Erba and his gang once and for all."

Hearing the word "ghost," Lei Tao's heart trembled violently, and his hand gripping the teacup shook uncontrollably, nearly spilling the scalding tea. He snapped back to his senses, realizing his misstep. He quickly gathered himself, forcing himself to remain calm. He put on a normal expression, only slightly tilting his body, his ears pricked up, fearing he'd missed any crucial information.

After a moment, he could no longer contain his anxiety. He stood up, straightened his clothes, and strode to the neighboring table. A smile spread across his face, and he clasped his hands together and said respectfully, "Two brothers, I heard you guys chatting so enthusiastically that I couldn't help but join in the fun. I just heard you say that 'You Ming' is so powerful, and I thought that if I could help them and provide them with some food and supplies, it would be considered as doing my part to vent my anger. So I would like to ask, where are these heroes now?"

Upon hearing this, the two men looked Lei Tao up and down warily. The bearded man frowned, with a scrutinizing look in his eyes, and asked, "Why are you asking about this? There are a lot of bad guys these days, we have to be on guard." His hand unconsciously rested on the package beside him, as if he was guarding against something.

Lei Tao hurriedly explained again with a sincere look on his face, his words full of resentment and helplessness. He also took out some previously prepared goods transaction bills as evidence and said: To be honest, I am a busy merchant. I imported a batch of foreign goods from other places last month. I thought I could make some hard-earned money, but I never expected that I would be robbed by Zhu Erba’s group of crazy bandits halfway, and they also injured several of my brothers. My heart is full of anger and unwillingness, but there is nothing I can do. "He said with a helpless and angry expression.

"Brother, look, this is the receipt for my purchase. I was really badly harmed by those bandits, so I hope to do my part to get rid of them." He handed the receipt to the bearded man and asked him to take a closer look.

The two men then relaxed a little. The tall and thin man pointed in the direction outside the town and said, "I heard that they just arrived yesterday. They should be at the militia base outside the town now. But that place is heavily guarded and ordinary people can't get in." He kindly reminded.

Lei Tao thanked the two men and hurriedly left the teahouse, heading straight for the militia station outside the town. Arriving at the station, he saw the gate was heavily guarded, with several armed militia soldiers patrolling back and forth, their eyes alert. Lei Tao was just thinking about how to get in when he suddenly heard someone behind him shout, "Stop! Who are you?" Lei Tao turned around and saw a middle-aged man in plain clothes staring at him with a sharp look.

The middle-aged man looked Lei Tao up and down and asked again, "What are you doing here?" Lei Tao replied calmly, "I'm looking for the 'Netherworld' team. I have something important to discuss with them." The middle-aged man frowned, "How did you know they were here?" Lei Tao hesitated and said, "I'm their friend too. I just came from out of town." The middle-aged man stared at Lei Tao for a moment and said, "Come with me."

The middle-aged man led Lei Tao into the camp, and when they reached a room, he pushed open the door and said, "Come in." Lei Tao entered the room, which was dimly lit and filled with a stale atmosphere. Meng Xiaoyu, Chen Feiyang, Yi Guang, Li Shuiniu, Li Shuyang, and Liu Zishan were sitting together, discussing something.

Seeing Lei Tao enter, Meng Xiaoyu's teacup clanged against the table, spilling tea, but she was oblivious. Her entire body froze, as if frozen in place. A few seconds later, a blush quickly filled her eyes, tears welling up in them. Her lips trembled with excitement. She abruptly stood up, her voice choked with uncontrollable sobs, almost blurting out, "Brother Tao, you're finally back! Do you know how worried I was about you?" Before she could finish her words, she took a quick step and rushed towards Lei Tao, her movements eager and reckless. She wrapped her arms tightly around Lei Tao's neck, as if she were holding the whole world. She buried her head in his embrace, her shoulders heaving slightly, her heart finally at peace.

Lei Tao's eyes were slightly red, and his heart was filled with emotion. He raised his hand and gently patted Meng Xiaoyu's back, again and again. His movements were gentle and soothing, and he whispered softly: "Xiaoyu, I'm back, don't be afraid, it's okay." That voice was like a warm breeze, slowly calming the storm in Meng Xiaoyu's heart.

Meng Xiaoyu's originally tense body gradually relaxed under this gentle comfort. She took a deep breath, trying to calm the surging emotions in her heart. Her shoulders, which were slightly trembling with excitement, gradually stabilized. After a few seconds, she reluctantly loosened her arms that were tightly wrapped around Lei Tao's neck and took a small step back, but she still held Lei Tao's arm tightly, as if she was afraid that if she let go, the person in front of her would disappear again. She raised her head, staring at Lei Tao with tearful eyes, and choked up and said, "You are finally back. You must have suffered a lot along the way. I... I was really worried to death."

Liu Zishan, beaming, stepped forward quickly, patted Lei Tao's shoulder vigorously, and said with a hearty laugh, "Brother Lei, we've all been waiting for you to go! How's the mission going?"

Chen Feiyang followed behind, raised his eyebrows and teased, "Hey, Brother Lei, if you don't come back, Xiaoyu's nagging will make our ears callused. She keeps asking when you will return to the team." When Meng Xiaoyu heard this, her face turned slightly red and she gently hit Chen Feiyang.

Yi Guang pushed his glasses, walked forward, and said in a gentle voice: "Brother Lei, you have worked hard all the way. The situation of suppressing bandits this time is a bit tricky, and I was worried that I didn't have you to make decisions."

Li Shuiniu, who was standing by, scratched his head and smiled innocently: "Brother Lei, when you were away, we felt that our work lacked some energy. Now that you are back, we feel much more at ease."

Li Shuiyang also echoed: "Yes, yes, Brother Lei, you have been waiting for us to come back. We have been waiting for you to come back and lead us to do something big and wipe out that bandit's nest!"

Li Shuiyang echoed, "That's right, you finally got us back."

Liu Zishan's face was filled with joy. He quickly stepped forward and said excitedly, "Brother Lei, I've finally got you back! With you here, it's only a matter of time before we wipe out the Zhu Erba bandits who have been entrenched near Dazhuhe Town on the Sichuan-Shaanxi border for many years!"