Chapter Seventy-One: Deep in Enemy Territory

  The small bowl looked even smaller in Smith's large hands, and the millet porridge that had previously seemed like pig food was now more delicious than any other dish. Smith, who hadn't eaten a grain of rice for three days and nights, clinked his ceramic spoon against the bowl as he devoured the entire bowl of millet porridge in just two scoops.

  Smith handed the bowl to Lin Yurui, whose deep blue eyes still shone with hunger. Seeing Smith's pitiful appearance, Lin Yurui sighed deeply and went to serve him porridge again. You Fei, however, was displeased. Everyone on this trip had limited food supplies, so why should this old man be an exception? Especially since Lin Yurui didn't seem to treat him with such kindness before. With a twinge of jealousy, You Fei glared at Smith, resenting the fact that he was getting special treatment just because he was useful. He itched to slap Smith's face, especially when he saw him licking his lips repeatedly, which only added fuel to You Fei's growing anger.

  After Lin Yurui brought out another bowl of hot porridge, Smith quickly finished it off. Seeing You Fei's eyes blazing with anger, Lin Yurui didn't dare to satisfy Smith's hungry gaze again and instead smiled apologetically, explaining that there was no more porridge in the kitchen. Only then did Smith reluctantly stop staring at Lin Yurui with an unsatisfied expression.

  Lin Yuru left, and You Fei instructed Zhang Dàmǒu to take good care of Smith before chasing after Lin Yuru.

  Being alone with Zhang Dàmǒu was no different from torture for Smith. Zhang Dàmǒu still stared at him with the same idiotic gaze as if he were a freak, although he had stopped using his hands and feet. However, being stared at continuously for over half an hour without blinking would drive anyone crazy. Sweating profusely, Smith tried to convey his dislike of being stared at by gesturing with his hands and feet, but it was like playing the piano to a cow. Exhausted from the ordeal, Smith had no choice but to give up. He kept twisting his neck or shaking off his limbs, while Zhang Dàmǒu continued to stare at him with curiosity, making both of them look like they had severe intellectual disabilities.

  Quickly catching up with Lin Yurui, You Fei stuck his body close to him. Lin Yurui shrunk back a bit to maintain a safe distance between them. You Fei chuckled and said in a low voice, "Yurui, aren't the US military's firearms powerful? I've only heard that Czech-made and German-made guns are powerful. Is this American one any good?"

  Lin Yuru pondered for a moment, then replied: "I don't know much about this either, I just heard from one of my former teachers who had studied in the United States that America's industrial system is quite advanced, you could say it's among the best."

  When Lin Yurui said that, You Fei finally put his heart at ease and secretly thought that he hadn't wasted his time feeding the old man. Seeing You Fei's sinister smile, Lin Yurui also knew that he wouldn't harbor any good intentions. As for Smith, the foreigner, he seemed much less cunning than You Fei. Judging from the situation, it was likely that You Fei would take advantage of him. Lin Yurui smiled to herself and quietly slipped away. If she let You Fei entangle her, she wouldn't be able to do anything for the rest of the day. Among the entire group, You Fei was indeed the biggest idler. However, if she were to ask You Fei for help, Lin Yurui would be terrified because he would mess everything up.

  You Fei slowly came back to his senses from his deep thoughts, only to find that Lin Yu Rui had already left without a trace. You Fei helplessly shrugged his shoulders, it seemed that he was too absorbed in his thoughts earlier, otherwise he wouldn't have been unaware of Lin Yu Rui's departure.

  Down came a sly smile on You Fei's face, and the stout Jiang Zai led three soldiers from the guard regiment, dressed in ordinary civilian clothes, without horses, relying solely on their two legs to hurry along. The speed was naturally not going to be fast. Although Jiang Zai disliked walking the most, fortunately, the weather was still cool now. If it were a hot summer day, walking would be the thing that made this fatty feel most afraid. However, the wine and meat that he could soon touch made Jiang Zai's eyes curve into crescent moons, and for a long time, he had not been so delighted.

  "Commander, this time we're going to rob a rich man, we should be able to get a good sum from him." A thin and small soldier next to him said with a smile.

  Chiang's big head nodded, and he laughed loudly: "Hmph, Wang Xingye that traitor, I didn't see through his true face back then when we were traveling together. I said it before, this guy is a Han traitor, you guys see now? He's become a running dog for the enemy! Haha, if it comes to chopping people down, Commander-in-Chief still can't compare to me, Chiang Baozi."

  Three old soldiers on the side nodded and bowed on the surface, but in their hearts they were muttering: If it were the brigade commander, you would still be flattering him.

  Feeling very good, Jiang led three subordinates to take a small path and climb the mountain ridge, rushing for several days. The road was flat and easy to walk, but it also meant entering the area controlled by the devils. I don't know when they would encounter the devil's patrol team.

  These three people, apart from Jiang Zhuang being a bit rough around the edges, were all lean and wiry. Although they looked lean, they also appeared to be overly robust. Jiang Zhuang knew that they looked too refined compared to ordinary villagers, and since they would inevitably run into trouble with the devils on this road, he quickly signaled for the other three to take out their spare tattered clothes and roll around in the muddy ground a few times to get their clothes dirty. Then, they used some herbal medicine to smear on their faces, and soon the four of them looked extremely disheveled, especially with their pale complexions that resembled those of people with consumption. They coughed and hunched over, looking like genuine refugees.

  After dressing up, the three of them continued on their way, and except for being occasionally stopped and beaten by the devils, they had a smooth journey. Finally, the four of them arrived at a place one mile outside the county town of Su County. To enter or exit the city gate, one needed to hold a pass issued by the devils. With Jiang's ability, it wouldn't be difficult to obtain the pass, but he didn't want the person whose certificate they would steal to be punished by the devils afterwards. So, he and the other three people wandered around outside the city, waiting quietly for the arrival of nightfall.