Volume 1 Chapter 1: Taking Action Upon Seeing Injustice

  The drizzle was fine, the sky was gloomy, just like Zhao Zhi's mood at this time. Standing by the Huangpu River, he couldn't believe everything that had happened to him. The ups and downs were so great that it was hard to imagine, after all, there were decades in between. From 2012 suddenly back to 1938 last century, this irreversible everything made him cry and laugh, a thought rose in his heart to dive into the rolling Huangpu River and end his life.

  But in this suffering, there is another kind of joy, the joy of rebirth. Looking back now, it seems that 2012's society was not very suitable for people like me, because people like me are called the spark and accomplice of war - "international mercenaries".

  Zhao Zhi was hit by a rocket while driving a car to rob a mine with other mercenaries after being hired by an African tribal chief, and then crossed over to 1938's Shanghai.

  After wandering around the Huangpu River for a day, Zhao Zhi finally accepted this unrealistic fact. The Shanghai News was the most famous newspaper at that time. Although Zhao Zhi still thought he was on the set of a big production at first, it was the content and date of the newspaper, as well as everything he was in contact with, that proved he had indeed returned to 1938.

  Fate played a trick on him, and heaven arranged for a mercenary to be sent to China during the War of Resistance. This was all an arrangement of fate, as the saying goes, "Heaven's will is hard to violate." This sudden change made Zhao Zhi's determination even stronger. Not only did he possess excellent qualities that surpassed this era, but his vague understanding of the general trend of modern Chinese history was enough to allow him to dominate in this era. Of course, this was a secret 'weapon', because some things were unbelievable if spoken out loud. They might even bring about deadly danger. Therefore, he had to survive better, make better use of his talents, and find a way out and opportunities for a better life.

  Standing on the streets of Shanghai, countless puzzled and strange gazes stared at Zhao Zhi, but his robust physique made people dare not look at him for too long. He wore a black satin short jacket, with only a thin layer of hair on his scalp, wearing a pair of thousand-layered cloth shoes, with a white face and black complexion. To be honest, this outfit was also quite eye-catching in this place and time. Wearing it, he had just obtained it from a beggar last night, otherwise, relying on his tattered camouflage military uniform, he would have been caught by the police long ago.

  The neon lights had just come on, and the night color enveloped the whole of Shanghai. Under the neon lights, countless vagrants and hoodlums roamed about, because they were vagabonds, unemployed, and would not let go of any opportunity that could keep them alive. This was Lujiazui, where the Chinese concession and French concession converged. South of the bridge was the Chinese concession occupied by the Japanese army, while north of the bridge was the French concession. The bridge spanned a tributary of the Huangpu River, which flowed past the Dongchang Wharf outside the Small East Gate. The residents on both sides of the tributary were unmanaged, belonging neither to the Chinese concession nor the French concession; they were free men.

  Shanghai is not short of hooligans and ruffians, who are present in all walks of life. After the Japanese army occupied Shanghai in 1937, most of the hooligans turned to the Japanese army, became spies, provided intelligence and hunted down anti-Japanese personnel. The most famous one was Zhang Suolin, one of the three biggest hooligans in old Shanghai.

  Zhao Zhi didn't like reading books, he only knew that China had won the war of resistance against Japan in the end, and then the KMT and CPC fought another battle, with the KMT retreating to Taiwan. However, he wasn't clear about the entire process of the war of resistance. But relying on his own abilities, he should be able to get by in this era without any problems. Since he's here, he might as well make do with it, and for now, that's all he could do. Zhao Zhi shook his head, standing at the street corner looking around. He still had a few dollars in his pocket from yesterday's looting, so he should first solve today's food problem.

  Suddenly, a sharp cry awakened Zhao Zhi's wandering mind. "Stop him, stop him quickly, my handbag." A series of rapid footsteps echoed, and a man in a suit speaking English rushed past the street corner. Although it was dark at night, there were countless foreign buildings, restaurants, and shops on both sides, making the entire street relatively bright under the lights. Many people stopped to watch, but no one went to stop the thief who had snatched the bag. Two people, one after another, quickly ran towards Zhao Zhi standing at the corner of the street.

  Zhao Zhi saw very clearly that the person running in front was a young man of about 24 or 25 years old, tall and thin, wearing the same black singlet as Zhao Zhi. He looked like a habitual offender who often hung out in this area. Although he was thin, he ran with great energy and had a certain air about him. The Westerner in the suit was still chasing after him, shouting "Robbery! Stop him quickly!" But his string of English words were understood by only a few people, and even if they did understand, who would be willing to get involved with a local rascal for the sake of a foreigner they didn't know?

  Zhao Zhi's thoughts turned to electricity, and in the instant that the thin man rushed past his side, he stretched out his foot and hooked it. The thin man was caught off guard, and was directly tripped by Zhao Zhi's foot, landing with a "thud" and sprawling flat on the ground, instantly dazed and confused.

  Those who dare to rob here are basically the thugs in this gang, and there are countless Shanghai gangs, with Qingbang and Hongbang being the most famous. Old Shanghai was originally a place where big thugs emerged. In the eyes of others, Zhao Zhi's interception of the robber was equivalent to challenging these gangs, which was undoubtedly an act of reckless stupidity.

  But the approaching foreigner in a suit made Zhao Zhi's eyes light up, and he suddenly felt that this stupid behavior was worth it. The running foreigner was limping on one leg, but when he stood in front of Zhao Zhi, his whole body was straight as a javelin, with no sign of the limp from earlier. His green eyes met Zhao Zhi's for an instant, and his feet instinctively opened up and retreated a step back, his robust body slightly crouching down, assuming a posture ready to attack at any moment. Zhao Zhi, who had just come through the battlefield, still carried some of the aura of war on him, which put pressure on the foreigner in front of him, so it was no wonder that he assumed that stance.

  Zhao Zhi smiled slightly, the corners of his mouth curling up into an arc. He picked up the dusty leather bag from the ground and stepped on the back of the robber with one foot. "Is this your bag?" Zhao Zhi's English was standard, and the foreigner opposite him was taken aback, nodding hastily, "Yes, it's my bag. Thank you so much!"

  Zhao Zhi pushed away the old foreigner's hand that was reaching out to take the leather bag, using his right thumb and index finger to gesture counting money. No nonsense, Zhao Zhi wasn't a good person after all. Without any benefit, he wouldn't bother to make a move. The old foreigner was taken aback again, hastily pulling out a wallet from his pocket and handing over a dollar bill to Zhao Zhi. Ah, it's a big fish that has come, the dead old foreigner handed over a brand new US dollar bill, although it was only a one-dollar note. You should know that in Old Shanghai, the US dollar was always a strong currency.

  Zhao Zhi looked at the $1 bill handed over to him, shook his head and said, "10 bucks, I want 10 dollars." Zhao Zhi said lightly, putting the leather bag in his hand behind him. "This is extortion, I'm going to call the police!" The old foreigner's face turned red with anger, shouting loudly, and the onlookers dispersed. In their eyes, Zhao Zhi was just like the mugger, a hooligan.