Chapter 2: The Consequences of Getting Lost Are Severe

  The mist in the distance was slowly rising, and the sunlight was sprinkled among the trees at the bottom of the mountain valley. Yan Ju Fan looked around cautiously as he walked, and soon the sun would set, so he needed to find a place to settle down. This forest should have some ferocious beasts, and it would be terrible if he accidentally encountered a wolf's kiss. On the rocky beach by the creek in front, there was a rare empty space, and an old withered tree slanted across half of the creek. Let's rest here for now, and set off again when dawn breaks tomorrow.

  A small bonfire was lit on the withered branches, and the stone stove surrounded by gravel reflected the heat. On top of it, several fish of different sizes were skewered on a few branches, and Yan Jufan easily caught a few small fish in the creek with his experience from two lifetimes. Soon, an enticing aroma wafted out, and Yan Jufan leaned against the withered tree to enjoy his first dinner in this world.

  Just as Yan Jufan hung himself on the tree and fell asleep, the devil's sweep team finally entered Leshi Village. The thatched houses were set on fire one by one, and the flames rolled up to illuminate half of the sky. Some chickens and ducks that couldn't be taken away were chased around by the devils, and several guard dogs fled with their tails between their legs. The sound of gunfire echoed in the night sky from time to time. Yamamoto Kitaro shouted reluctantly, commanding a team of Japanese soldiers to search the village non-stop, digging...

  Mei Huan-yu smiled and waved his hand, letting the special agents under him rummage through the boxes with those devils. He himself hastily flattered Mountain Kamejiro: "Taikun, although we've been slow this time, we still found it, this time we'll definitely catch those bandits, thoroughly eliminate these rebels..."

  Yamamoto Kamejiro squinted his eyes and said to Mei Huan Yu, "Your work is not good, you don't even know the way. You've wasted a whole day. If we don't catch anyone this time, humph."

  Translator Jiacheng chimed in, "Your Excellency, Captain Mei did his best. These surrounding mountains are all connected, one piece after another. As a non-local, it's really hard to tell them apart. Just now, Captain Mei almost rolled down the mountain trying to catch that little rabbit. That little rabbit is just too cunning..."

  Yamamoto Kitaro's anger grew, these guys can't even take care of a child and lost a soldier of the Great Japanese Empire. But to govern this country, they still can't do without them, thinking about it made him turn his head away with a dark face. A squad leader ran over: "Report Lieutenant, found buried printing machines and some cloth..."

  "Take a look back, Captain Mei is also coming along!" Yamamoto Kamejiro shouted. Mei Huan-yu excitedly rubbed his hands and followed closely with several special agents. This time, leading the team to sweep, Mei Huan-yu felt from the start that there was no hope, where could they find anyone by hiding in the big mountains? However, not coming would be out of the question, so he searched until he was half dead before finding Leishi Village. As a result, it had already gotten dark. If only I had known being the captain of a special agent team would be so exhausting, I'd rather...

  Mei Huan-yu thought to himself, "Being a traitor is not a promising career path. One has to constantly look over one's shoulder at the Japanese, and if you're not careful, you'll be taken out by the anti-Japanese guerrillas." However, the future of our country is now uncertain. The Jin dynasty government had to borrow troops from Japan to deal with the revolutionary party in the south, but soon after, the Japanese turned the tables and annexed several provinces in the northeast, creating a puppet state called "Manchukuo". Although the emperor of the Jin dynasty was still nominally in charge, in reality, it was the Japanese who were calling the shots. This year, they broke through Shanhai Pass and marched south, occupying much of central China. The revolutionary party in the south had launched several northern expeditions, but soon fell into internal strife. As a result, they split into two factions: the Fourth People's Party and the People's Unity Party, each controlling their own army and fighting each other fiercely. This ultimately played right into Japan's hands. Mei Huan-yu sighed as he thought about this, "Being a traitor is really suffocating." (I'd like to ask everyone, if Japan were to change its name today, would we just forget our hatred towards them? Of course not!)

  In the distance, on top of a mountain, several pairs of eyes were gazing at the big fire in the village from afar. Hatred was radiating from their eyes. "Damn it, I'm so angry, when can we take revenge?" Yan Xiuwen growled, gripping his Water-Linked Pearls tightly.

  "Shut up, now the devils have come with a large troop and another troop of secret agents. Can we just rely on our 10 or so water guns and earth cannons to fight against the devils? Isn't it all about risking one's life to lead the devils around in circles to ensure everyone's safety in the village? I wonder how that child is doing." Yan Xi Wu said, looking worriedly down at the mountain.

  "Big brother, this child has been clever since he was young, nothing should happen to him. Don't worry," Yan Xiwen comforted. A middle-aged man who looked like a businessman next to him interrupted: "This time it's all thanks to Yan Jufan, this kid saved the whole village and also saved our newspaper from being shut down."

  "Old Zhang, this time the devils' sweep is aimed at you guys, right?" Yan Xiawu said with a glance at the middle-aged man. "Hehe, it should be, otherwise why would we just arrive for 3 days and the devils come to sweep?" Zhang Yun Tian replied awkwardly. After the devils' large-scale invasion, both the Fourth People's Party and the People's Unity Party sent armed work teams and guerrilla teams into the occupied areas to develop. The Tuijin News was one of the People's Unity Party's anti-Japanese propaganda teams. Zhang Yun Tian was the director of the Tuijin News. This time, they were chased by the devils and had to hide in the deep mountains. Unexpectedly, they were still pursued by the devils. The armed work team went to Yao County over 100 miles away to carry out sabotage activities, while the newspaper staff had to hide in Yan Xiawu's hometown of Lei Shi Village, which they had just gotten to know. Now, Yan Xiawu's son Yan Jufan, who was trying to divert the devils and let everyone relocate, has not been heard from. Judging from the devils in the village below, it is likely that Yan Jufan is already in a precarious situation. Zhang Yun Tian felt a bit regretful, but now there was no way out.

  Yan Xiwen glared at Zhang Yun Tian. "You're the one who brought the devils here, if anything happens to my nephew, I'll make you pay." "Shut up!" Yan Xi Wu shouted. "This has nothing to do with Old Zhang, it's a matter of fate."

  A little girl darted out from behind, "Brother Jufan will definitely be fine, I brought his favorite mouse car from the village. When Brother Jufan comes, call him to play with me." As she spoke, she shook the exquisite toy in her hand, a small pull car with a mouse head.

  "It's raining heavily, why don't you stay with your mother instead of running around?" Yan Xi Wu said in a low voice. This child was picked up by Yan Xi Wu when he passed through a village that had been burned and killed by the devils on his way back from doing business outside the mountain. The 12-year-old girl was crying and throwing herself on several corpses at the time. Yan Xi Wu took pity on her because she had lost her whole family, so he adopted her and gave her his surname Yan. He thought of making her a sister or daughter-in-law for Jiu Fan, and as for the future, it would depend on whether they were compatible or not.

  Yan Yuhong pouted, fiddling with her braids and remaining silent. She couldn't sleep, thinking about Yan Feng all the time. "Sigh..." Yan Xiawu sighed, patting Yan Yuhong's head. "Let's go back. It seems that the devils won't leave today. Xiuwen, arrange for someone to keep watch with Old Zhang. No one is allowed to smoke or start a fire. The weather isn't too cold, so let's all endure it." As he spoke, he turned around and led Yan Yuhong away.

  Yan Xiwen called over a few people and a proofreader under Zhang Yuntian to gaze stealthily at the village below, where the night sky was murky and rising fog surrounded the mountains.