Chapter Fifteen: Fallen

  It was a shocking and earth-shaking night raid, the ground shook with explosions, the entire battlefield was filled with gunfire, and the flames illuminated the sky.

  The screams and wails of human beings are so faint in the thunder of the war machine that they can hardly be heard.

  A massive explosion on the artillery position swallowed up many fragile lives.

  Lin Feng was lucky because he was relatively far away from the center of the explosion.

  The Japanese army and the kamikaze pilots at the center of the explosion were not so lucky.

  The entire artillery position was overturned by a massive explosion and had become a scorched earth, where not even a single intact corpse could be found.

  When Lin Feng, who was stunned, woke up, the sky had already lightened, and Wang Yuzhu had gone somewhere.

  Lam Fung didn't know if he had been blown to smithereens or had already left.

  The gunfire on the battlefield is no longer intense, and sporadic shots can be heard from a distance.

  The battle should have been over by now, but it's unclear which side ultimately emerged victorious.

  Those scattered shots were either the victors finishing off isolated pockets of resistance or administering a coup de grace to enemies not yet quite dead.

  But all of this was no longer important to Lin Feng. His mission had been accomplished and it was impossible for him to return to the Security Squad to report again.

  He wants to go home, this is his most ardent wish in his heart.

  Before, Lin Feng thought that the old man at home was always wearing a stinky face, taking pleasure in lecturing him for no reason, and was really hateful to the extreme.

  Before, Lin Feng thought that since his parents had given birth to him, they should raise him and it was only natural for him to receive his mother's doting love.

  Before...

  Before, there were many things he didn't care about or didn't take to heart.

  After experiencing this enlistment and bloody battle, Lin Feng suddenly understood that some things in the world cannot be abandoned, and some responsibilities must be borne.

  At noon, Huaiyin Town, Lin's residence.

  These two days outside are chaotic, with arrests and fighting everywhere. Moreover, at home, there was the embarrassing incident of Lin Feng's wedding day escape, so Lin Qingyuan stayed at home and didn't go out.

  The dishes are already on the table, Lin Qingyuan, Mrs. Yao and Yao Fengyun sit around the table ready to start dinner.

  Just then, there was a commotion outside.

  "Master, master, something terrible has happened!"

  A young fellow, dressed up as a partner, came rushing in, shouting and hurrying.

  "Boom"

  The rice bowl fell heavily onto the dining table.

  "Hmmph!"

  Immediately followed by a loud roar.

  Lin Qingyuan was puzzled, how come these two days were all things, and even a meal couldn't be eaten well.

  Yao Fengyun was startled by her father-in-law's angry movement, and she quickly put down the rice bowl she had just picked up, sat upright in her chair, lowered her head, and was at a loss for what to do with her hands and feet.

  Madam Yao saw Yao Fengyun's meek and aggrieved expression, and her heart filled with pity. She gave her husband a displeased glance, took Yao Fengyun's hand in hers, and said warmly, "Don't mind him, he's always been this hot-headed. Let's eat, don't bother about him."

  Hearing Mrs. praise herself, Lin Qingyuan became even more depressed.

  "What's all the commotion about?"

  Lin Qingyuan had no place to vent his anger, so he took it all out on Xiao Huoji.

  The young shop assistant panted for two breaths, not caring about the anger of the master of the house, and hastily said: "Master, something big has happened! The Japanese army has entered the county town, the whole street is filled with Japanese soldiers, all the shops in the city are closed, our family's shop is also closed. Li Zhuang asked me to come back and ask you what to do?"

  What? The Japanese army has entered the city?

  This was beyond Lin Qingyuan's expectations, not because he thought the Japanese army couldn't enter the city, but because he felt it shouldn't be so soon. Weren't the security team and the Japanese army supposed to have a fierce battle? How could they be defeated overnight?

  Lin Qingyuan couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he tried.

  But he didn't have the heart to think about these things now, and there was something even more worrying that weighed on his mind.

  "I asked you, have you seen Young Master in the county town these past two days?"

  Lin Feng's current whereabouts are what Lin Qingyuan is most concerned about.

  The young shop assistant thought for a moment and said, "It was the day before yesterday, I think. The young master came to the counter and asked for 200 silver dollars, saying he wanted to go have some fun in the county town for two days. But Li, the shop owner, only gave him 20 silver dollars, telling him that things were chaotic outside and the security team was arresting people, so he should just stay in the store and not go out. The young master didn't listen and ran out on his own. After that, we haven't seen him again."

  Learning that Lin Feng had indeed gone to the county town these two days, Lin Qingyuan and his wife immediately became anxious.

  Lin Qingyuan's face turned even darker after hearing the young man's words. He didn't expect that on his son's big day, he would run out and still be thinking about redeeming that woman of humble origins. Otherwise, why would he ask for so much money from the counter? Fortunately, Li Zhuang didn't give it to him.

  Qing Yuan...

  Mrs. Yao saw her husband's gloomy face, and her heart sank, fearing that he would get angry and not care about their son anymore, so she hastily opened her mouth to beg her husband to send someone to look for their son.

  "I know."

  Lin Qingyuan didn't wait for his wife to finish speaking before he opened his mouth.

  He's in no mood to quarrel with Lin Feng now, when people don't even know if they're dead or alive. Even if he wants to quarrel, he has to pick the right time. After all, his son is still his own flesh and blood!

  Lin Qingyuan knew the reason for the urgency of the matter, so he ordered the young apprentice: "You go back now and tell Li Zhuangui that the shop will be closed first, let's see the situation later. Send out all the people who can be mobilized to find out where the young master is!"

  The young fellow was sent away, and the whole family had no appetite for dinner either.

  Yao Fengyun didn't say anything at the time, but her mood wasn't much better than that of her parents-in-law.

  Yao Fengyun had never met Lin Feng and did not know what kind of person her husband was, but the moral education she received since childhood made her understand that marrying a rooster follows the rooster, and the husband is one's heaven.

  Her husband is now missing, if it's true...

  She didn't dare think about it anymore, if it were really like that, her sky would collapse.

  A family is beset with worries and troubles.

  The Japanese army actually occupied the county seat.

  After a night of fierce fighting, the Japanese army suffered countless casualties.

  By dawn, the reinforcements that Lieutenant Colonel Onoda had been expecting did not arrive, but instead he was met with a relief unit from the security troops.

  As he watched the security team's soldiers increasing in number, his own troops were about to be annihilated, Lieutenant Ono's heart was dead, and he was even preparing to commit seppuku.

  Just then, the security team suddenly disappeared after a fierce attack.

  This left Lieutenant Ono utterly perplexed.

  Waiting until dawn broke, Lieutenant Colonel Shōya dispatched personnel to survey the damage and sent out scouts.

  The scouts soon reported back: Our army occupied Linxian County yesterday afternoon, and the Security Regiment has withdrawn from the county seat.

  Shono's company commander burst out laughing upon hearing the intelligence, and ordered his troops to immediately head to the county town to take over defense duties. He also immediately wired a report back to battalion headquarters: "My Shono company has successfully broken through the Luhe defenses after a fierce battle throughout the night, and is currently marching towards Xi'an County Town."

  This is a windfall for Captain Ono, an unexpected gain that he can't help but be thrilled about.

  Let's talk about Lin Feng again.

  Lin Feng was lucky enough to escape with his life on the battlefield, but he was also severely injured by a massive explosion.

  Lin Feng had no external injuries but kept coughing up blood, possibly due to internal organ damage.

  This delicate young master did not have the robust physique of those veteran soldiers who had been through a hundred battles, and these two days were the most suffering he had endured since birth.

  At the foot of Maer Mountain, with internal injuries added to fatigue and hunger, Lin Feng became more and more dizzy and confused as he walked, mechanically dragging his numb legs forward.

  Go around Maer Mountain, continue south and pass through two villages to reach Huaiyin Town.

  Lin Feng now most wants to do is go back home, lie on the big bed with thick bedding in his bedroom and have a good sleep.

  At the thought of that big bed, Lin Feng's eyelids grew even heavier.

  As they passed through a small grove of trees, two figures suddenly darted out from the woods, one holding a rifle and the other wielding a large knife.

  "Halt!"

  The two men simultaneously pointed their guns at Lin Feng, one of them viciously ordering him around.

  Lin Feng was stunned, trying hard to open his eyes wide, and after making sure that the person in front of him wasn't a Japanese soldier, he came back to his senses, silently cursing: "I've really had eight lifetimes of bad luck, I just managed to scrape together one life from the battlefield, how did I run into this calamity again?!"

  Lin Feng was now both tired and weak, and also had internal injuries. He didn't want to clash with anyone again, so he clasped his fists and said: "Everyone, today Lin has come down from the battlefield, penniless and without a plan, let's each go our separate ways!"

  Lin Feng finished speaking and turned around, about to walk back.

  "Whoosh whoosh"

  Two more people jumped out from behind, also holding weapons in their hands.

  Lin Feng realized that he had fallen into someone's ambush.

  But when Lin Feng saw clearly the two people who came out later, he almost couldn't help but laugh.

  What's going on?

  Look at these two: one is holding a red-tasseled spear with a wax wood handle; the other has a decent weapon - a twenty-shooter, but surprisingly, it's not even taken out of his waist, just standing there with his hands on his hips, propping up a not-so-round belly. It seems like he's treating the twenty-shooter as a showpiece. What's even more ridiculous is that this guy has a scar on his face, looking quite ferocious, but the fact that he has a twenty-shooter and doesn't take it out to use it makes him look like a fool, creating a stark contrast that makes you want to laugh at first glance.

  What a group of extreme goods, Lin Feng thought to laugh but didn't dare to laugh, afraid that if he accidentally enraged these extreme goods, it would be difficult to escape, so it's better to avoid trouble and hurry home.

  "Everyone, I've said it before, I don't have money."

  Lam Fung still spoke kindly and politely with others, hoping to resolve the issue peacefully.

  "Hahaha……" A middle-aged man with a scar on his face burst out laughing, sizing up Lin Feng while he laughed. Seeing that Lin Feng was wearing a tattered military uniform, with a blood-stained bandage wrapped around his shoulder and his face covered in black grime, he indeed looked like a soldier who had just come off the battlefield. Only then did he say, "Brother, it seems you're a sensible person. I, Li Fei, won't make things difficult for you. Since you don't have any money, just leave the stuff in your hand behind!"

  These several bandits are none other than the remnants of yesterday's failed attempt to rob a Japanese military supply convoy, who were instead chased by a large group of Japanese soldiers and reduced from over ten men to just four, the Mare Mountain bandits.

  The one with scars on his face is naturally Da Bao Li Fei.

  Lin Feng carefully sized up the scar-faced man who claimed to be Li Fei and the people surrounding him.

  Noticing the flashy but worn-out weapons in their hands, Lin Feng suddenly understood. No wonder these guys wanted to rob him - they had taken a liking to his Hanyang-made gun.

  Lin Feng "whoosh" sound, took off his shoulder Han Yang created ...

  "Don't move..."

  "Don't move..."

  The bandit saw Lin Feng put down his gun and immediately became tense, shouting repeatedly.

  Li Fei only then realized that he had encountered a reckless and arrogant guy, and hastily "swished" out the twenty rounds of bullets that were also tucked into his waist...