Chapter 114: Escape

He Yuzhu laughed: "Sister, do you think the Communist Party would take someone like me who is always looking for trouble? I was forced into that fight—I originally only wanted to smash their car window to force them to save that child. Who would have thought they would try to kill me the moment they got out of the car? You tell me, could I not fight back?"

"I believe you on this. But how should this situation be resolved?" Liu Rusi asked with a frown.

"Take it one step at a time. Sister, as long as you don't betray me, I'm not afraid of them. Anyway, a war is about to break out; sooner or later, they won't have the time to bother me."

"How do you know a war is about to break out?" Liu Rusi pressed.

"It's being whispered on every street corner. Just look at the life the common people are living in the city! Prices are skyrocketing, the people are destitute; within three years at most, the Party and State will definitely be finished!"

"Then what should I do?" Liu Rusi asked in a low voice.

"You can't break with Shen Shichang yet. You still need to use his influence to make money for the next two years. Instead of letting those corrupt officials take the money overseas, we might as well join forces to 'rob the rich to help the poor'," He Yuzhu said with a piercing gaze.

A chill went through Liu Rusi's heart, and she secretly vowed: Since this father is the murderer who killed my mother, don't blame me for being heartless. You use me, and I will use you.

"What do you plan to do next?" she asked.

"Sister, help me find a truck. I need to get my parents out of the city and find a safe place to settle them. As long as they are safe, I won't have any worries. After that, I'll stay in Beiping and simply 'wreak havoc in heaven,' making those who built their fortunes on corruption and bribery spit out every bit of their ill-gotten gains."

Liu Rusi gave a cold smile: "Fine, it's a deal." In her heart, she had already committed to this path with He Yuzhu.

The cold wind swirled with dead leaves in the alleys.

After leaving Liu Rusi's place, He Yuzhu found an empty courtyard and slipped into his space.

He quickly changed into a Nationalist Army uniform, stuck on eyebrows and a mustache, and applied some makeup to his face; he looked like a completely different person.

He hailed a rickshaw and headed straight for Fuyou Street.

In front of Wang Yongchun's residence, two guards wrapped in thick cotton coats were stomping their feet to keep warm while smoking.

He Yuzhu stepped out of the rickshaw and walked over slowly. His wrist flicked suddenly, and two flashes of cold light streaked through the air; the Flying Knives sank precisely into the throats of the opponents.

The guards didn't even have time to groan before they collapsed softly to the ground.

He Yuzhu stepped over the corpses, kicked open the door, and slipped inside like a ghost.

The room was warm, and Wang Yongchun was eating at the table. A concubine was swaying her waist while singing "Imperial Concubine Gets Drunk," and two Bodyguards stood at the door.

He Yuzhu didn't stop; he drew his gun and fired. "Bang! Bang!" Two shots rang out, and the Bodyguards fell to the ground.

Wang Yongchun was so shocked that his chopsticks dropped onto the table, and he froze in place.

The concubine was so terrified she scrambled under the table.

He Yuzhu raised his hand and fired another shot. A flower of blood bloomed on Wang Yongchun's forehead, and he fell backward.

He quickly walked toward the Houyuan and saw two Bodyguards peering through the window. He raised his hand and fired two shots; those two heads exploded like rotten watermelons.

He vaulted over the wall, leaped out of the courtyard, and retreated quickly.

Back home, He Yuzhu did not hide anything from his family; he told them everything about killing the American soldiers and informed them that the whole family had to evacuate Si Jiu Cheng tomorrow.

He Daqing sat on a stool and surprisingly did not get angry. He remained silent for a long time before finally saying in a low voice: "I'll tell the people in the Siheyuan that our whole family is going back to our hometown to pay respects to our ancestors tomorrow, and I'll have Yi Zhonghai help me ask for leave after the New Year."

Shen Guizhi was trembling with rage, pointing at He Yuzhu and cursing: "You little bastard, you have too much nerve! You even dare to kill soldiers; do you really want to be the death of me!" Her voice was filled with tears, yet she suppressed it, not daring to speak loudly.

"Mother, it's already come to this, complaining is useless." He Yuzhu's tone was calm. "I did lose my head at the time, but I don't regret killing those soldiers—they were the ones who wanted my life first; if I didn't fight back, I wouldn't have survived."

Shen Guizhi wiped away her tears, knowing that saying more was useless, and hurried to pack their personal belongings.

"Mother, don't bring quilts and such, just take the valuable things," He Yuzhu reminded her.

"I have to bring Yushui's clothes; she can't find these things anywhere else." Shen Guizhi stubbornly packed her daughter's small cotton-padded jacket and small quilt carefully.

After settling his family, He Yuzhu immediately rushed to 91 Hao Yuan.

Pushing open the door, a group of people were sitting around eating.

Seeing him, Liu Xiaohua hurriedly pulled him outside and asked in a low voice: "Is Wang Yongchun dead?"

"Taken care of," He Yuzhu answered briefly.

Liu Xiaohua let out a long sigh of relief, his face showing a sense of release: "That's great. I have no more worries now; I can leave with peace of mind."

"I'll take you all out of the city tomorrow morning. The Old Beggar's family must go too; go tell them," He Yuzhu said, then turned and left.

The next morning, before dawn, a truck was parked quietly at the entrance of the Siheyuan alley.

Pingping jumped out of the driver's seat and handed a bag to He Yuzhu: "Inside is a uniform and your Military Statistics Bureau credentials." After saying this, she turned and left.

Seeing Pingping walk away, He Yuzhu put the rice, flour, grain, and oil from his space into the truck.

Everything was ready. He had Liu Xiaohua and the others get in the truck and handed him a small bag containing money and a Box Cannon.

Liu Xiaohua smiled: "Consider it a loan!"

"Don't be fake polite!" He Yuzhu curled his lip. "The Old Beggar's family is pitiful, take care of them."

"You don't need to tell me that," Liu Xiaohua nodded.

After everyone was on board, He Yuzhu started the engine.

Shen Guizhi sat in the front holding He Yushui. Little Yushui opened her eyes wide with excitement, looking around—this was her first time going on a long trip by car.

The truck slowly drove out of the alley.

The streets were filled with military police, and checkpoints were set up at all major intersections.

He Yuzhu held a pass and the officer's ID card that Liu Rusi had arranged, so the journey was fairly smooth.

However, they ran into trouble when leaving the city gate—a team of American Advisory Group soldiers had set up a checkpoint for inspections.

An American officer waved to stop the truck and said arrogantly: "I want to inspect your vehicle."

He Yuzhu jumped out of the truck and sneered: "Who gave you the authority to search my vehicle?"

The American officer said angrily: "You Chinese people are not trustworthy; I must check it myself!"

He Yuzhu kicked him hard and cursed: "Damn it, who gave you the guts to stop my truck!"

Several Nationalist Army soldiers hurriedly tried to smooth things over: "Officer Mike, this is a Military Statistics Bureau vehicle; we don't have the authority to search it."

Seeing the fawning smiles of the soldiers, He Yuzhu ignored them, turned and got back into the truck, stepped on the gas, and the truck sped away.

The truck drove on the bumpy dirt road for nearly two hours before finally arriving at the Jidong Base Area. Before they could even enter the mountains, they were stopped by sentries.

He Yuzhu gave the name of Captain Xiao, and only then were they brought into the village.

Unexpectedly, Lao Zhou and Shen Wenqing had already returned a step ahead.

They were overjoyed to see He Yuzhu and his family.

He Yuzhu introduced Liu Xiaohua to Lao Zhou, and Lao Zhou's face beamed like a chrysanthemum with joy.

Everyone worked together to unload the rice and flour from the vehicle, and Xiao Duizhang was especially happy: "The New Year is right around the corner, and I was just worrying about not having white flour to make dumplings! You kid really came at the perfect time!"

"I originally wanted to get some meat, but I really couldn't get any," He Yuzhu said with a smile.

He stayed at the Genjudi for one night, and seeing that his family was settled in properly, he left one hundred Big Ocean for his mother before driving back to Si Jiu Cheng.

After entering the city, He Yuzhu drove the vehicle directly to Liugongguan.

Liu Rusi was exceptionally busy today, and the phone was ringing non-stop. After asking Pingping, he learned that a group of high-ranking officials from Nanjing had arrived by plane to hold the officials of Beiping accountable, and Liu Rusi was responsible for their security.

After waiting for a long time, he finally saw Liu Rusi. She rubbed her temples and asked, "Is everything at home arranged?"

He Yuzhu nodded.

"Prepare yourself; my father wants to see you tomorrow."

"What do I need to prepare?" He Yuzhu asked, puzzled.

"Dress more maturely."

"But your father has already met me; I can't exactly glue on a fake beard, can I?"