DDT - Chapter 114
Chapter 114: Tycoon's Daughter (Finale)
In the early morning of the third day of the Lunar New Year, anyone looking down upon the land would have discovered something unusual. The gates of Huaping City, normally shut tight, opened one by one in every direction. Small convoys of vehicles and solitary figures departed from the city, heading toward different destinations.
About half an hour later, the gates of Huaping City closed in sequence. Outside the walls, the cold wind whistled, and the landscape was as quiet as ever.
As dawn broke, a Japanese Army reconnaissance squad stood on a distant hill. The squad leader used his binoculars to confirm that there was no activity in Huaping City, then sent a subordinate back with a message: "No unusual movements in Huaping City."
By this time, Chi Junluo's convoy was already far away. It was Yi Shuhan's first mission, and an important one at that. She excitedly wiped down the assault rifle Ah Yan had given her before they got in the car.
This batch of rifles was the latest military supply the Secret Party had seized from the Japanese Army before the new year. Each mission team was only allocated two. They had less recoil, higher accuracy, and a faster muzzle velocity, making them naturally more powerful.
Chi Junluo had given the other rifle to a comrade responsible for providing cover during the mission. As the team leader, she could have kept one for herself, but she gave it to Yi Shuhan instead.
She never intended for the heroine to truly participate in this mission. Although she had arranged for a capable comrade to protect her, she still couldn't feel at ease. Perhaps giving the heroine better equipment was the only way she could find some peace of mind.
"Comrade Sun, did you get things settled at home?" Chi Junluo sat bolt upright in the passenger seat, her eyes and ears alert to everything around them, but her words floated out casually.
Yi Shuhan's hand, which was wiping the rifle's stock, paused for a moment. She swallowed nervously before resuming her task, replying in a seemingly nonchalant tone, "Everything's been taken care of… yes."
Chi Junluo glanced up at the rearview mirror, her eyes meeting Yi Shuhan's.
Yi Shuhan guiltily averted her gaze, looking out the window and trying to change the subject. "Ah Yan, how much longer until we arrive?"
Chi Junluo chuckled softly and looked away.
"No rush. We still have a long way to go."
On a cold winter morning, the sunlight offered little warmth.
A layer of snow covered the streets, and the wind howled. It was almost eleven o'clock, but only a few people were out and about.
The Yi family usually had lunch before 11:30. As the time approached, the master, madam, concubines, and the young masters and misses were all seated at the dining table. The servants bustled in the kitchen, bringing steaming dishes to the table one after another.
Yi Ming frowned as he looked at the empty seat beside him.
"Butler, why isn't the young miss down yet?"
The Old Butler, who was waiting nearby, answered respectfully, "Master, I just went to knock on the young miss's door to ask her to come down for lunch, but she was not in her room."
Just then, a servant bringing a dish to the table added, "Master, the young miss went out early this morning."
Once all the dishes were served, Yi Ming, though worried, told his family to eat first. He stood up, threw on a cotton coat, and headed out, simply saying, "I have to go out for something. You all eat first."
At the New Government's military headquarters, Yi Ming met with Hou Wanxing, the commander of the city's defense forces.
Commander Hou, rarely seen in his military uniform, was sitting at his desk processing documents. Seeing Yi Ming's worried expression, he merely nodded and gestured for him to sit down.
Yi Ming sat on the sofa to the right and got straight to the point. "Commander Hou, it's been a while. I would like to know if there have been any recent movements."
After finishing the document in his hand, Hou Wanxing capped his pen and set it down. He took a sip of his cold tea to wet his throat, then elegantly rose and walked over to the sofa opposite Yi Ming.
He crossed his legs, clasped his hands together with his elbows resting on the armrests, and leaned back relaxedly against the cushions. Only then did he look at the expressionless Yi Ming and reply, "I'm not sure what movements Mr. Yi is referring to."
Yi Ming was anxious and had no patience for pleasantries with Commander Hou. "My daughter left home early this morning."
Commander Hou appeared somewhat surprised. "You haven't found her? Perhaps I can have my men ask around the city for you."
Yi Ming looked at him, unconvinced. "On my way here, my men discovered that almost all of Huaping City's gates allowed unidentified people and vehicles to pass through this morning."
"The gates of Huaping City are guarded by the city defense forces, and Commander Hou is the commander of those very forces."
Hou Wanxing was not angered by Yi Ming's questioning. "Mr. Yi has no authority to inquire about the affairs of the city defense forces."
He paused, then added, "And your daughter is not under the jurisdiction of our city defense forces."
Yi Ming remained expressionless, his mood unreadable. "I thought Commander Hou would know something, considering that every time I send men to protect the Yi family's young miss, they are coincidentally 'intercepted' by people connected to your subordinates."
Commander Hou was not surprised. "If one were to investigate the young miss's whereabouts, it wouldn't be impossible to find her."
Seeing Hou Wanxing relent, Yi Ming was direct. "Name your price."
Hou Wanxing shifted his position slightly, feigning confusion as he asked, "What price?"
Yi Ming stood up and walked to the window. With his back to Hou Wanxing, he looked at the snowy scene outside and said, "You name the terms. Release the Yi family's young miss."
There was no movement behind him for a long time, but Yi Ming did not turn around.
"Heh." Hou Wanxing let out a soft laugh. "I think Mr. Yi may have misunderstood. The city defense forces have not abducted the young miss."
"That matter you discussed with me before—I agree to it."
Hou Wanxing also stood and walked to the window, standing shoulder to shoulder with Yi Ming. "As I said, my men have not abducted the young miss."
Yi Ming repeated, "I agree to that matter."
A smile touched the corners of Hou Wanxing's mouth. He said, "The young miss has left the city."
"Mm."
"She is participating in a mission. She will return when it is over."
Yi Ming sighed.
"The Yi family's ancestral creed has always been to protect ourselves and never get involved in these power struggles."
Hou Wanxing pushed open the window, and a gust of cold wind rushed in. "Special circumstances call for special measures."
Yi Ming shot Hou Wanxing a look and turned to leave. "We'll discuss the specifics tonight at your Wanxing Restaurant."
"The young miss is blessed with great fortune. She will return safely," Hou Wanxing called out. When he turned around, Yi Ming was already gone.
The convoy took the back roads and finally reached its destination on the evening of the second day.
Chi Junluo directed the two vehicles to park behind a grove of trees on the south bank of the great river, hidden behind a hill. The cars were parked next to several large boulders, and some shrubs helped conceal them. The hill itself was covered only in tall, wild grass. It was about a kilometer from the railway bridge, with a cliff dropping down to the rushing river in front and a flat, open grassland behind it, offering no place to hide. The Japanese Army hadn't found any other paths in the area, so they didn't have a habit of patrolling this side.
This path had been revealed to the organization's intelligence division long ago by a villager who lived near the bridge. Few people knew about it, and even fewer used it. The roadside was overgrown with thick bushes, making it almost impassable for the vehicles.
Despite being a considerable distance from the Japanese troops guarding the railway bridge, the team members disembarked quietly, carrying their equipment. They followed Chi Junluo, crouching as they made their way to the top of the hill. Huddled in the tall grass, they used the last moments of daylight to observe the situation on the bridge.
Chi Junluo used her binoculars to carefully survey the railway bridge and the Japanese garrison on the south bank. Two other scouts did the same, while the rest of the team stood guard with their rifles.
Yi Shuhan followed quietly behind Chi Junluo. Without binoculars, she couldn't see clearly and could only stare at Chi Junluo's back in a daze. Comrade Wolf stayed close behind her, his eyes firm.
Although there were four squads of Japanese soldiers stationed on the south bank, they seemed to have let their guard down, perhaps because of the Dragon Kingdom's New Year.
It was freezing outside. Aside from the two squads on their routine patrol, the other Japanese soldiers stayed hidden in their barracks.
This time, Chi Junluo and her team were dressed in all black. As night fell, they blended into the darkness.
The garrisons at both ends of the railway bridge originally had lights, but being far from any town, they required a generator. The generator was too noisy and disturbed the resting Japanese soldiers, so the commander of the garrison ordered it not to be used. He claimed the noise was too loud and they might not hear an ambush, but in reality, he just wanted to sleep peacefully.
The night was as black as ink. The generator was already gathering dust in a warehouse. The only sources of light were the hand-crank flashlights carried by the Japanese soldiers.
A Japanese soldier on sentry duty in the watchtower leaned against a post, sweeping his flashlight back and forth across the surrounding ground.
Of the two patrol squads, one circled the area near the railway entrance, while the other patrolled back and forth along the tracks, both onto the bridge and southward.
The two squads always set out from the garrison at the same time before dark. They would meet at the bridge entrance approximately every hour and a half before separating again. This ninety-minute window was the best opportunity for Chi Junluo's team to strike.
While the Japanese Army was completely unsuspecting, Chi Junluo had already led a string of team members in night-camo gear to the bushes and grass not far from the watchtower at the garrison entrance.
Everyone's rifle was wrapped in black cloth to prevent reflections. They lay prone on the ground, motionless, waiting for the right moment.
The garrison commander assembled two squads of Japanese soldiers in an open area. After a speech in their own language, he sent them off to begin their night patrol.
The Japanese soldiers split up, one squad heading toward the bridge and the other away from the garrison.
The soldier in the watchtower used his flashlight to illuminate the path for the departing patrol. Once the sound of footsteps faded, he swept the beam in another direction.
Chi Junluo waved her hand, and a group of team members split off, creeping into the southern darkness. They needed to cross the railway tracks to find a suitable position behind the garrison on the other side, set up their sniper rifles and machine guns, and wait to provide cover for the final retreat. The main road was over there, and during the retreat, the team members left with the vehicles would drive over to pick them up and leave.
Back at the hill where the cars were parked, Yi Shuhan sat angrily in a pile of grass. Comrade Wolf squatted beside her, dutifully holding his rifle and scanning the surroundings.
Chi Junluo had left three people to watch the cars: Yi Shuhan, Ah Lang who was protecting her, and a thin man who was the designated driver for this trip. Though he looked frail, his driving skills were top-notch.
Yi Shuhan stared at the distant, lit watchtower, a growing sense of unease in her heart. She felt that something was wrong with this mission.
Through the binoculars, Yi Shuhan could see the situation at the watchtower clearly, but she couldn't spot Chi Junluo and the others who were in hiding.
As night fell, the temperature dropped. Yi Shuhan was so focused on watching the Japanese soldiers through her binoculars that she didn't even notice she was shivering from the cold.
Then, she felt a weight on her shoulders. Lowering the binoculars, she saw that Ah Lang had gone back to the car to get a cotton military coat and draped it over her.
"Thank you, Ah Lang," Yi Shuhan said, pulling the coat tighter.
Ah Lang gave her a simple, honest smile. "You're welcome, Comrade Sun. Before North Goose left, she told me to give you her coat if you got cold."
Yi Shuhan blinked and turned her head away, not responding.
She still felt a sense of injustice. They had promised to let her participate in the mission, but in the end, they just had her watch the cars!
She wanted to kill the Japanese devils with her own hands too!
"Comrade Sun, why don't we wait in the car? We should conserve our energy so we can support North Goose and the others later," Comrade Wolf suggested.
Yi Shuhan remained seated on the ground, plucking blades of grass and tearing them apart in her palm. "I'm not going," she refused. "I want to watch from here."
There was no sound from behind her. After a moment, Yi Shuhan turned her head and saw Ah Lang still squatting there. "Why are you still here?"
Ah Lang scratched his head and smiled. "I'll watch from here too." After a pause, he added, "I'm worried too."
They had been lying in the grass for over ten minutes. The Japanese soldier in the watchtower was still sweeping his flashlight around. Two team members close to Chi Junluo grew anxious. They shifted slightly closer to her, and just as they were about to speak, Chi Junluo reached out and gently patted their hands. "Don't be anxious. Let's wait a few more minutes."
The Heavenly Dao had investigated the world lines of the Japanese soldiers in this garrison and uncovered some useful information. The soldiers on watchtower duty had their own unspoken rule: after the patrol squad left and the wandering commander returned to his room, they would place their flashlight in a net bag tied to the watchtower, aimed directly at the garrison gate. This allowed them to sit down and rest. When they saw the patrol returning from a distance, they would stand up and pretend to be on duty with the flashlight.
About ten minutes later, the Japanese soldier in the watchtower finally finished cranking his flashlight to full power. He placed it in the fixed cloth bag, sat down comfortably on the floor, and secretly lit a cigarette. He had filched it while inspecting goods on a passing train. He had only managed to get about ten of them, and this rare moment of leisure was his chance to finally enjoy one.
Seeing the flashlight aimed squarely at the gate, the team members looked to their leader. Chi Junluo gave a "wait" signal and stealthily crept toward the watchtower. Using the skills her host body had trained, aided by her own power, she easily climbed the outer wall of the watchtower without making a sound and slipped inside.
The Japanese soldier was leaning against the floor. He had just lit his cigarette with a match and hadn't even taken a puff when he felt the light above him being blocked. He looked up, and the last thing he saw before he died was a dark figure.
Chi Junluo laid the silenced soldier down, stamped out the cigarette, and swiftly stripped off his outer clothes and pants. She disgustedly kicked the corpse aside and bundled up the clothes. Waving her hand, she used the mysterious power within her body to conjure a Japanese military uniform and hat for herself. This was a method the Heavenly Dao had taught her; she had no desire to wear a dead man's clothes.
She stood up, flashed the flashlight from the watchtower toward where her team was hiding, and then calmly walked down the stairs.
The team members had already crept to the base of the watchtower. As soon as Chi Junluo emerged, they gathered around her. Chi Junluo picked a male comrade of similar height and tossed the clothes to him.
Then, Chi Junluo walked right through the main gate. After confirming it was clear inside, the team members carrying the explosive charges followed. The comrade who had changed clothes climbed back up the watchtower, put on the hat, and stood guard for his team.
There were about thirty resting Japanese soldiers inside the garrison: sixteen in the room on the left and fourteen in the room on the right of the railway. The commander was in a separate room, sleeping soundly.
Chi Junluo led her team to the room on the right first, had them wait outside the door, and went in herself.
This shift of resting soldiers wasn't sleeping. They were playing cards by the light of a hand-crank flashlight. The sound of the door opening startled them. Thinking it was the major, they shoved the cards under the bed. The flashlight rolled onto the floor. They all lined up, waiting to be disciplined. Seeing them standing there silently with their heads bowed, Chi Junluo didn't hold back. Since no one could see, she decided not to get her hands dirty. The power within her body was quite convenient to use.
The team members waiting outside, ready to charge in, only heard a few muffled thuds before their leader emerged.
"Let's go." Chi Junluo waved for them to follow. The last team member to leave pushed the door open and glanced inside, only to see Japanese soldiers lying all over the floor. He couldn't tell how they had died. Shocked, he quickly followed the others.
Soon, every Japanese soldier in the garrison was dead, except for the major, whose snores echoed through the compound.
Chi Junluo and her team hid in the garrison's buildings. They waited for the two patrol squads to meet at the garrison and move away again. Then, during a lull in the patrols inside the compound, she led her team to plant a dozen of the Japanese Army's own mines on the railway tracks in the middle, reminding them to avoid the area during their retreat.
During the pre-mission briefing, Chi Junluo had been given all the information about the railway bridge's weakest points. There were four vulnerable spots at each end of the bridge, and the most critical point was the joint in the very center.
Chi Junluo led her team to plant explosives at the four points on the south bank, supplementing them with a significant amount of the Japanese Army's own explosives.
To be safe, the charge in the middle of the bridge had to be set. Chi Junluo ordered her team to retreat first while she went to plant the last one herself.
The team members were supposed to obey orders, but they were unwilling to let their leader take such a risk alone.
Seeing her team about to object, Chi Junluo's face hardened. She ordered them to retreat immediately and to signal the group on the hill with a flashlight to prepare for evacuation.
Several team members hesitated, but fearing that a delay would jeopardize the mission, they gritted their teeth and turned to leave, urging Captain North Goose to retreat immediately after planting the charge.
This mission was extremely dangerous. The patrol squads had about forty Japanese soldiers in total. If anything went wrong and Yi Shuhan was with them, she could easily be injured or killed.
So, this time, she probably wouldn't be leaving in front of Yi Shuhan. But the towering flames and the sound of the explosion should be stimulating enough, right?
As the retreating team members passed the parking area, they saw the Japanese military trucks. It was obvious that these heavily armored vehicles were much better suited for an escape. Even if they were pursued, casualties would be minimized.
The patrol squad was now quite far away. Several team members immediately started two of the Japanese trucks, swapping the Japanese flags for those of the Dragon Kingdom.
A team member ran ahead to tell the comrade in the watchtower to signal and leave. The two Japanese military trucks drove out of the garrison and rendezvoused with the mission team's two vehicles at the pre-arranged location.
Yi Shuhan had been on edge all night. When she received the retreat signal from the hill, she felt no joy.
This inexplicable, heart-wrenching feeling intensified when she saw the team.
"Why isn't Ah Yan back with you?"
After checking two or three times and confirming that Ah Yan was indeed not back, Yi Shuhan's tone grew frantic.
The other team members also looked worried. Although North Goose had ordered them to retreat first, what if something went wrong? What if their captain couldn't make it back?
"Captain North Goose ordered us to retreat first and wait for her outside the garrison."
"If everything went according to plan, she should have had enough time to get back by now."
After a brief discussion, they decided to go back for Chi Junluo. They let the air out of the tires of their own two vehicles and drained the fuel from the tanks, collecting it in empty bottles. Then, everyone boarded the captured Japanese military trucks. The two vehicles started up again and drove back toward the garrison. The team members loaded their weapons, turned the trucks around to face the exit, and prepared for a firefight.
Not far behind the trucks were the mines they had planted earlier. Inside the vehicles, the team members also had grenades ready.
If Chi Junluo were in the garrison at that moment, she would have discovered that in the major's room, the snoring had stopped.
Suddenly, a dazzling flare shot up from the Japanese garrison on the south bank of the railway bridge!
The sharp whistle of the flare carried far, and it exploded in the sky in a brilliant red! It was the Japanese Army's signal for help!
The team members immediately understood that they had been exposed!
If they didn't leave now, they would face the first wave of enemy fire in less than three minutes!
The patrolling Japanese soldiers must have seen the flare and were now rushing back. The Japanese troops on the north bank would also be starting their vehicles to cross the bridge. Their own trucks were backed up against a minefield, and the south bank of the bridge was rigged with explosives. They couldn't drive back in to get their captain! Even if they did, they would never be able to fight their way out!
With the captain absent, the deputy leader was in command. He looked toward the bridge with his binoculars. On the north bank, several vehicles with their headlights on were already driving onto the bridge. "We wait one more minute, at most!"
Hearing the deputy leader's gritted-out words, everyone's heart sank.
One minute. It was too short. The captain couldn't possibly make it back. The patrol squad was on its way. This one minute would be their final farewell to their captain.
Yi Shuhan gripped her binoculars tightly, tears streaming uncontrollably from her eyes. She forced her eyes wide open and, through the lenses, saw a figure illuminated by the distant headlights and flashlights of the Japanese vehicles.
She was standing on the bridge, a pile of explosives a hundred paces away, a rifle in her hands.
Yi Shuhan saw her turn her head. The wind blew her hat off, and her shoulder-length hair flew in the wind. She broke into a smile, then turned back. A gunshot echoed through the sky, making everyone's heart clench. An instant later, a massive explosion followed.
Several team members silently turned away, tears falling.
At the deputy leader's command, the two vehicles floored the gas and sped toward the exit.
Yi Shuhan clutched the binoculars, seeing nothing but towering flames and the collapsing sections of the railway bridge.
Finally, everything was swallowed by the smoke and dust kicked up by the explosion.
The trucks sped away. Not long after leaving the garrison, they encountered one of the returning patrol squads. The team members opened fire from a distance. The air filled with the sound of gunshots. Stray bullets flew over the roof or struck the vehicle's body. The rear window was shattered.
The trucks, at full throttle, quickly outran the Japanese soldiers who were on foot. Yi Shuhan's mind was a blank slate. She furiously raised the rifle Chi Junluo had given her, knelt on the back seat, and sprayed bullets at the Japanese soldiers.
The trucks soon left the enemy behind. Yi Shuhan emptied the entire magazine.
Her hands trembled. Hearing the successive explosions in the distance, she couldn't believe that Ah Yan, who had been so powerful in her mind, was gone just like that.
The vehicle fell silent.
The mission was over.
Yi Shuhan hugged the empty rifle, her gaze vacant as she stared into the distance. Ah Lang sat beside her the whole time.
The real war was about to begin.
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