Chapter 42: Escaping from the Tiger's Mouth (1)

  The Japanese commander at the street corner suddenly blew a whistle to gather his troops. The latest free chapter of this book can be found on our website.

  The devils who were climbing up the roof heard the whistle and, surprisingly, didn't care about Tianhu and his team anymore. Instead, they jumped down to the ground, tense and anxious, and ran towards the street corner to gather.

  "What's going on? Is the enemy trying to play another trick?" Li Fei asked, looking at the devils running away in confusion. "Or are they scared of us?"

  "You don't need to think about it," Tianhu said. "It's probably Guo and Ahmad who have engaged with the devils outside the city. They must have heard the gunfire coming from inside for half a day and seen that we haven't come out yet, so they guessed that we're in danger and surrounded by the enemy. They're trying to create a diversion to help us escape."

  Tianhu said, "Let's go down."

  "I know there's a way to get to the outside of the city," Mawa suddenly spoke up, her voice filled with hatred for the devils. "We can take a detour and meet up with Guo and Ahmad."

  Tianhu knew that Mawa was familiar with the local terrain, so he let her lead the way. They followed her through the streets, which were now empty of devils, as they had all gone to engage with Guo and Ahmad outside the city.

  After running for over half an hour, they arrived at the location where Guo and Ahmad were fighting the devils. "Tianhu, you're back! That's great!" Guo exclaimed, relieved. "We were just thinking of sending a small team into the city to help you, but the enemy's firepower is too strong, and their numbers keep increasing."

  "You've done well," Tianhu said. "If it weren't for your diversion, we might not have made it out tonight." He asked, "What's the situation now?"

  "The darkness makes it hard for the devils to tell how many of us there are," Ahmad replied. "They're just increasing their numbers and don't dare to launch a full attack. We can hold on for now, but if we keep fighting, I estimate we won't last much longer. From the sound of their gunfire, they've already deployed three or four hundred troops."

  Tianhu ordered, "Divide the team into three batches and retreat immediately. Guo, you and Ahmad lead the first batch, including Mawa, the girl, and the wounded, and withdraw first. I'll stay behind with Li Fei and Ahmad to cover our retreat. The second batch will start withdrawing in twenty minutes."

  Guo wanted to say something, but Tianhu cut him off, his voice firm and serious. "This is an order! Execute it immediately!"

  Tianhu also saw Mawa glance at him, but she didn't say anything. He didn't ask her either, just waved his hand and continued, "Guo, Ahmad, you lead the first batch of retreating troops to meet up with Lü Liangwei and Ma Haide, who are ambushing in Molulan. If the devils pursue us, we can set up another ambush."

  "Yes!" Guo and Ahmad replied, not daring to say more. They immediately turned around and led the first batch of personnel, including Mawa, the girl, and the wounded, to retreat.

  Tianhu ordered Ahmad, "Let the remaining team members disperse and fill in the positions of the retreating troops, so as not to arouse the devils' suspicion due to changes in our firepower."