Chapter 132: The Master of Forgery

He Yuzhu knew there was no way to escape, so he had no choice but to fight a hard battle against those coming. He quickly climbed to the machine gun position, a flash of determination in his eyes. "I'll pull off a big job right here, then stage a scene of the car falling into the river. By the time they find the vehicle, I'll have long since reached Shanghai."

He nimbly set up the two machine guns, his fingers hooked over the triggers.

The relief truck came wobbling along. When the truck entered a range of about one hundred meters, He Yuzhu pulled the trigger.

"Da-da-da—" The machine gun spat tongues of fire, and bullets poured out like raindrops.

The driver was killed on the spot, and the truck stopped crookedly in the middle of the road.

The rear door of the truck bed swung open violently, and several dark shadows jumped out quickly, trying to run toward a small woods nearby. He Yuzhu did not show the slightest mercy and unleashed another round of fire.

The screams sounded exceptionally desolate in the wilderness. Before long, those few figures also collapsed into pools of blood.

He Yuzhu approached cautiously and discovered there were still two people in the truck bed who had luckily survived, shivering as they hid in the corner. His gaze turned cold, and he raised his hand and fired two shots.

This time he had no time to dispose of the bodies, instead leaving the corpses scattered helter-skelter on the ground.

He returned to the foot of the mountain and drove the sedan to continue forward. After traveling about ten miles, he saw a swift, large river lying before him.

The river water was muddy and turbulent, crashing against the ice on the banks and making a splashing sound.

He Yuzhu carefully surveyed the terrain, then stuffed the bodies of Bureau Chief Ma's wife and the three grown men into the sedan, intending to create the illusion of a vehicle accidentally falling into the river.

Once all this was done, he stepped on the gas and drove the sedan straight into the wooden railing of the bridge, charging down toward the turbulent current, while he himself jumped out the moment the car rushed off the bridge.

The sedan plunged into the river with a "plop," splashing up a huge spray of water, and the small sedan drifted forward with the river. Only when it was out of sight did he heave a sigh of relief.

After finishing all this, He Yuzhu released a horse from his space.

When this horse was released, it was still a bit bewildered, seemingly not knowing what had happened. He Yuzhu led it for a long time before the horse finally sobered up.

He vaulted onto the horse, gave the reins a tug, and galloped away in the direction he had come.

At the same time, Zhao Ying and her group encountered trouble.

Although Su Qing was familiar with the geography, this time the Military Statistics Bureau had cast a massive net.

Even this road leading to Hangzhou had several additional checkpoints set up.

When the truck drove near a small town, Su Qing discovered that a small path used almost exclusively by locals had also been blocked off by wooden fences, and behind them stood several people checking things.

Su Qing rubbed his hands nervously and said, "Miss Zhao, there were no checkpoints on this road before. I don't know why there are people checking it this time."

Zhao Ying pondered for a moment and said, "How about we abandon the car and cut through the fields?"

"Without the car, how are we, the old, weak, sick, and disabled, supposed to get to Hangzhou?" Su Qing said, troubled.

Zhao Ying had a sudden inspiration and took out the bundle He Yuzhu had left behind. Inside were several sets of military uniforms and identification papers. "How about we disguise ourselves as soldiers?"

Su Qing picked up an officer's ID, looked at it carefully, and his eyes lit up: "I have a way!"

He skillfully tore off the original photo, trimmed his own photo, and pasted it on.

He then took out the carving knife, blank seal, and inkpad he carried with him, compared them to the seal on the ID, and quickly forged an identical one.

Watching his skillful technique, Zhao Ying couldn't help but be secretly astonished: This craft could truly pass off the fake as genuine!

Su Qing noticed her gaze and hurriedly explained, "I've liked tinkering with these things since I was a child. I even like carving my own seals when I paint, so practice makes perfect."

Soon, all four identification papers had been given a new look.

Zhao Ying made a prompt decision: "We'll split up. One person drives through the checkpoint, and the others cross the fields on foot."

After discussion, it was finally decided that Zhao Meiting would drive through the checkpoint, because he was better at adapting to circumstances than Zhao Ming.

This forty-something middle-aged man wore a military uniform that didn't quite fit, making him look somewhat comical. Yet, he himself was very confident.

Su Qing pushed his son toward Zhao Meiting and said, "Brother Zhao, take my son with you. It's too tiring for him to walk with us. Besides, the checkpoint should lower their guard when they see you with a child."

Zhao Ying understood that this was Su Qing showing his loyalty. She nodded, and so she and Su Qing, along with her mother Jia Xiuhua and Zhao Ming, stepped into the muddy fields with heavy, uneven steps.

The cold wind was biting, and every step was taken with great difficulty.

On the other side, Zhao Meiting drove to the checkpoint.

He wore a fawning smile and handed over three packs of cigarettes: "Hard work for you brothers! The Regimental Commander's son is returning to his hometown for the New Year and is about to start school, so he's heading back to Hangzhou for his studies."

A scarred inspector flipped through the ID and sneered, "You're nearly forty, and you've only managed to become a Deputy Battalion Commander? You're a lost cause in this life!"

Zhao Meiting accompanied him with a smile: "I'm a dull person and don't know many characters; it's all thanks to the Regimental Commander's patronage."

Daobalian waved his hand: "Go on, go on!"

Zhao Meiting felt as if he had been granted a pardon; he drove more than three miles before he dared to stop the car.

Only then did he realize his back was already soaked with cold sweat. As the cold wind blew, he shivered several times!

Meanwhile, at another checkpoint, He Yuzhu was disguised as a hunchbacked fool.

He carried a broken basket, walked with a limp, his mouth crooked, and drool running down.

A scarred inspector found him to be a nuisance, kicked him, and cursed, "Get lost, you fool!"

He Yuzhu mumbled a curse of "screw your grandpa" and wobbled past.

As soon as he was out of sight of the checkpoint, he immediately released another horse from his space, vaulted onto it, and began to gallop at full speed.

The horse's hooves struck the mountain road, making a crisp sound.

After chasing for eight consecutive hours, He Yuzhu finally caught up with Zhao Ying and her group.

Seeing the truck lights ahead, his heart immediately settled. After dismounting, he put the horse back into his space. He accelerated into a sprint, and after catching up to the truck, he nimbly climbed into the truck bed.

Someone suddenly climbing into the truck bed gave the drowsy group a start.

Zhao Ying instinctively reached for her gun, but her wrist was grabbed by He Yuzhu.

"It's me, Zhuzi!" He Yuzhu said in a low voice.

Zhao Ying then breathed a sigh of relief and scolded, "You little brat, you're going to scare me to death!"

He Yuzhu laughed and said, "Your defenses are too weak. If someone had attacked you, you would have been finished this time."

"Who else is as fast as you?" Zhao Ying said dismissively.

Jia Xiuhua said in surprise, "Zhuzi, you run too fast. I wasn't asleep just now, but I only saw a shadow and thought it was an illusion, so I didn't make a sound."

He Yuzhu wiped his face: "I took a shortcut on horseback. The horse was exhausted, so I let it go."

"Has the car been taken care of?" Zhao Ying asked with concern.

"It can be covered up for now, but not for long—a day or two at most," He Yuzhu said.

Zhao Ying lowered her voice: "I want to keep Su Qing. His forgery skills are truly peerless; we owe our escape from the checkpoint to the military officer credentials he faked."

He Yuzhu understood: "That's perfect. I can get hold of other people's Passports, and he can modify them for us to use. From now on, we won't need Liu Rusi anymore!"

"Then can you get a few more boat tickets?" Zhao Ying's eyes lit up.

He Yuzhu pondered: "I can definitely get them, but then others won't be able to board the ship!"

"I didn't realize you were such a 'good person!'" Zhao Ying mocked.

"You've known me for so long and you're only just realizing that I'm a 'good person'?" He Yuzhu said.

Jia Xiuhua listened to the two of them flirting and frowned. She slowly moved to the very back, not looking at the two of them.

Su Zhixiao, however, excitedly chimed in: "Sister Zhao, I can carve seals too!"

Zhao Ying patted his head and laughed: "Good lad, you'll take over your father's trade in the future."