Chapter 66: I'd die without regrets

  Because the Japanese government has always refused to sign a ceasefire agreement, the remnants of the Japanese army that are still scattered in the Northeast and have not been eliminated continue to resist stubbornly, causing trouble for the local people. Although Kang Fan had ordered Li Dui Zhang to lead the special forces to carry out a thorough mop-up operation, due to the vast territory where the Japanese troops were scattered, the number of special forces was small, and the time was short, the mop-up operation was not very thorough.

  Since the outbreak of war, Mei Xiang and He Shui Xi have been busy with refugee relief work, while Kang Fan has been busy directing battles, and they haven't seen each other. As the war situation improved rapidly, refugees began to return home one after another, leaving fewer people at the refugee camp, and the workload decreased significantly. After learning that Kang Fan was stationed in Andong on the banks of the Yalu River, Mei Xiang and He Shui Xi brought a medical box and took a logistics unit's military vehicle to visit Kang Fan. The driver of the logistics unit didn't recognize them, saw their white clothes, and mistakenly thought they were just ordinary medical personnel, so he agreed.

  Just as they were approaching Andong, the convoy was suddenly attacked by a group of Japanese stragglers. As the battle raged on, each car returned fire while speeding away from the battlefield. Since every driver's cabin was packed with people, Mei Xiang and He Shui Xi had to squeeze into two separate cars and couldn't stay together. In the chaos, the two cars got separated. After nearby patrolling Jin army troops arrived and defeated the enemy forces, they only found Mei Xiang and escorted her to Kang Fan's side. Kang Fan almost fainted after listening to Mei Xiang's tearful account.

  Two days later, a "Wind Chaser" reconnaissance plane found the missing logistics team's "Iron Horse" military vehicle in the mountains about 10 kilometers west of Andong County. Kang Fan immediately led 12 guards to rush to the scene. Captain Li insisted on squeezing out a special warfare squad for Kang Fan, but was rejected by Kang Fan.

  "This unexpected turn of events highlights the importance of clearing out the remaining enemy forces within our borders. You're already short-handed as it is. Obey orders!" Kang Fan said.

  Mei Xiang said tearfully beside him: "Kang Fan, you promised me that you must return safely with Shui Xiu. Update at the first time."

  Kang Fan smiled lightly and said, "Don't you trust me even if I go there myself?"

  The whole way was mountainous and forested, with the guardsmen on foot opening up a path in front, while Kang Fan followed behind. As they approached noon, they discovered the "Iron Horse" military vehicle that had been abandoned by the riverbank, loaded with rations, drinking water, and fresh fruit, some of which had already fallen to the ground. The vehicle was covered in collision damage and bullet holes, and it seemed impossible to get it moving again. Further on, not far from the vehicle, they found He Shui-xiu and three seriously injured Jin army soldiers hiding among a pile of rocks.

  Kang Fan finally put down the burden in his heart and exclaimed excitedly: "Shui Xiu, Big Brother has found you!"

  "Kang Dage?!" He Shui Xiu couldn't believe it was true, her eyes widening in confusion.

  Kang Fan's heart ached to death, and tears flowed uncontrollably. He tightly hugged He Shui Xiu in his arms.

  It turned out that after being attacked by the Japanese army, there were 4 soldiers in the military vehicle besides the driver. A burst of gunfire, the military vehicle sped away from the Japanese pursuit, just about to re-enter the main road when it was discovered that the brakes had failed and could not be controlled, sliding down the mountain all the way to this place before finally stopping. And coincidentally, at this time, they encountered an attack by several Japanese soldiers again, triggering another small-scale fierce battle.

  Due to the lack of firepower and insufficient ammunition, the logistics troops' self-defense weapons were 96-style carbines. After resisting for a while with the support of military vehicles, they ran out of ammunition and could only engage in close combat with the charging Japanese army. Four Jin Army soldiers showed great bravery, killing all five Japanese soldiers, but their own side also lost one soldier and three were seriously injured, almost annihilated.

  Kang Fan went over to check the injuries of the three soldiers, all of whom had been stabbed and were in critical condition. He Shui Xiu could have abandoned them and gone for help or escaped on her own, but she didn't. Instead, she used the limited medical supplies she had gathered to carefully tend to their wounds for two nights and three days! In this desolate and perilous mountain wilderness, amidst a pile of bloody rocks, it's unknown what kind of courage this delicate young lady relied on to survive!

  "It's really hard for you." Kang Fan said as he hugged He Shui Xiu again, and couldn't help but kiss her smooth forehead.

  He Shui Xiu quietly buried her face in Kang Fan's chest, her arms tentatively wrapping around his waist, unwilling to let go. "In order to protect me and the goods on that truck, the soldiers fought with their lives on the line. I'm just doing my duty, what I've done is nothing compared to them!" He Shui Xiu said, her eyes welling up with hot tears.

  Kang Fan nodded with satisfaction, "You all did very well."

  The guards began to cut branches to make a stretcher, preparing to lift the wounded. He Shuishou had not closed his eyes for three days, and at this moment, the long-term tension and fear dissipated with Kang Fan's arrival, and he fell asleep in Kang Fan's arms. Kang Fan held her still, watching the guards busy around.

  The sudden gunfire awakened He Shui Xiu from his sleep, and as he looked around, he saw Kang Fan holding a pistol in his left hand, frantically pulling the trigger, with yellow shells continuously popping out of the barrel, some of which rolled to his feet, still hot.

  "Take out their machine guns and occupy the high grounds on both sides of the river." Kang Fan loudly commanded, throwing away his pistol, picking up the Type 96 sniper rifle and fiercely opening fire, consecutively taking out three Japanese machine gunners, suppressing the Japanese machine guns, covering the guards regiment officers and soldiers as they seized several small high grounds in the surrounding area, quickly stabilizing the situation.

  "Water Show, just stay behind me and don't run around." Kang Fan suddenly changed to a extremely gentle tone when speaking to He Shui Xiu, his mouth even squeezed out a hint of a smile, "With big brother here, you have nothing to fear."

  He Shuixiu smiled wearily, and there was indeed no trace of fear on his face. "With big brother here, I'm not afraid of anything."

  Kang Fan patted her face, smiled, and turned his head to open fire with a ferocious expression.

  This group of Japanese soldiers was about 70 or 80 people. They either followed the sound of gunfire from the previous few days or received news from their companions and came, with a very clear purpose: to seize the supplies on that military vehicle in order to sustain the survival of themselves and their scattered comrades in the mountains. Therefore, despite their intense firepower, they did not aim at the military vehicle; it was the safest place there.

  Taking advantage of the lull in battle, everyone gathered the wounded and settled them beside the military vehicle, set up a simple shed, and handed over all the first-aid kits they carried with them to He Shuishou, letting her take care of the wounded.

  The guardsmen lost 2 men and 4 were seriously injured in this sudden attack by the Japanese army, losing half of their strength. However, the Japanese also suffered heavy casualties from the fierce firepower of the 02-style submachine guns and 96-style semi-automatic rifles wielded by the guardsmen, failing to take control of the high ground on both sides of the river.

  "It seems we can only hold out and wait for reinforcements." Kang Fan said.

  The crowd then took action, picking up the guns and ammunition discarded by the Japanese army to keep for themselves. On the high ground on both sides of the river, necessary defensive fortifications were built, damaged weapons were repaired, wounds were bandaged, and time was tight to rest and prepare for battle, in order to gain as much time as possible and wait for reinforcements.

  Ten minutes later, several Japanese soldiers attempted to sneak up under the cover of a grove of trees but were shot down by Kang Fan, who killed two and forced the others to retreat hundreds of meters away. From then on, they dared not make another reckless move. The superior weapons and marksmanship skills in the hands of Kang Fan and his men could inflict unbearable casualties on these Japanese soldiers in broad daylight with good visibility and favorable terrain. If these Japanese continued their desperate charge without regard for consequences, it was likely that they would all be killed before they even reached the supply truck.

  After waiting for a while, Kang Fan saw that the Japanese army was quiet and walked over to sit beside He Shui Xiu, watching her treat the wounded soldiers.

  He Shui Xiu finished washing up, covered in bloodstains, and walked to the riverbank to wash his hands. As he washed, his face suddenly turned red, and he turned around with a smile, asking: "Kang big brother, do you still remember when we swam in the Fen River?"

  Kang Fan was stunned for a moment, then smiled, "How could I forget such a wonderful thing!"

  He Shui Xiu's face turned even redder. "Then take a look at this place and see if it doesn't resemble the bend of the Fen River?"

  Kang Fan took a closer look around and said, "Hmmm, apart from being much smaller, it really does have some resemblance. First time update"

  "I want to swim." He Shui Xiu's words had barely fallen when she dove into the clear river water and started swimming with a flourish.

  Kang Fan felt unexpected, but didn't stop it either. It was just noon, and the early autumn sun was still scorching hot. Swimming would have been a good idea too, except for the wrong timing. For now, he couldn't afford to slack off, so he followed past habits and stood guard with his gun.

  After a while, He Shuixiu got ashore with her luggage and took out some toiletries to wash up in the river. She hid behind a clump of reeds, took off her clothes one by one, and washed them. The riverbank here was covered by a dense forest and blocked by reeds, which made it a pretty good secret place.

  "These days are really dirty." He Shuishou threw the washed clothes to Kang Fan through the reeds, and then started washing.

  Kang Fan hung her clothes on the tree branches, gazing at her faintly visible figure, and couldn't help but shake her head in wonder: Her appearance had indeed made her forget all the dangers, and in such a situation she still had the heart to go swimming and take a bath and wash her clothes! Did girls love cleanliness so much?

  "Kang Ge, I'm going to die clean." He Shui Xiu said with a smile on her face! Then she walked out of the river naked and stood in front of Kang Fan.

  Kang Fan was stunned and stood there in a daze.

  He Shui Xiu said, "In these three days, I've been thinking about how I would die. Because of fear, I thought about taking my own life several times, but in the end, I convinced myself not to do it. Brother Kang, do you know what kind of reason I found for myself?"

  Kang Fan shook his head calmly.

  He Shuixiu smiled and said, "I told myself: Brother Kang will definitely come to rescue you, you have to wait for him. If he can't find you, he'll be very sad."

  Kang Fan didn't say a word, staring at He Shui Xiu's face, motionless.

  "Kang Ge, it seems we won't be able to escape this time and will definitely die here, right?" He Shui Xiu asked.

  Kang Fan understood the current situation was very dangerous: during the day, they could still hold on for a while, but if it came to nightfall, despite having night vision goggles, facing the ever-changing battlefield in the dark of night would definitely not be as calm as during the day. The Japanese army, with their numerical superiority, would ultimately emerge victorious. Moreover, their own reinforcements had no idea of their exact position, and with the mountains and forests being dense, coupled with the harassment by the Japanese army, if the reinforcements couldn't arrive before nightfall, it would be even more difficult to find them at night. Therefore, life or death depended on tonight, but Kang Fan didn't have confidence that they could make it through the night. He didn't want to deceive He Shui Xiu, and not knowing what to say, he simply remained silent.

  He Shui Xiu suddenly laughed and said: "Then I'll die with Brother Kang, and when we get to the other side, we won't have to be afraid anymore... Look at this body, up until now, only one man has touched her, that's Brother Kang. Before I die, is Brother Kang willing to take her? That way, even if I really do die, I won't have any regrets."

  He Shui Xiu finished speaking and quietly waited. Kang Fan, however, remained still, his expression cold and stern. As time passed, He Shui Xiu's originally eager eyes gradually dimmed, growing duller and duller until they became despairing.

  He Shui Xiu cried, sobbing uncontrollably: "...because I only have Kang Da Ge in my heart, so when I had to obey my parents' orders and get married, I was prepared to die rather than submit, to preserve my chastity... fortunately, heaven has eyes, and I happened to meet a useless man, so he never touched me, and I could keep this body pure for Kang Da Ge... if Kang Da Ge doesn't want me, I would have been ruined by those Japanese soldiers! They are all beasts, they wouldn't even spare a dead woman..."

  "Water Show..." Kang Fan collapsed. He Xishui's desperate tears ruthlessly tore his heart apart, staring at the pure face in front of him, this beautiful body, although he had a will far stronger than ordinary people, but at this moment, even steel would melt away, let alone his mortal flesh?

  After being bewildered and infatuated, He Shui Xiu fell into a deep sleep again in Kang Fan's arms, with a satisfied smile still on her rosy face.

  "Kang Ge, I've finally given in to you..." The words that He Shui Xiu had once said kept echoing in Kang Fan's ears, his heart filled with sorrow: Shui Xiu must have thought there was no hope of survival this time, or she wouldn't have made such a reckless request of him. This foolish girl! So, am I really going to die here? Die in an era that doesn't even belong to me? If I die, what about Mei Xiang? Is she really going to follow me stupidly into death?