Chapter 55: Rescue

What to do? What on earth should he do? He Yuzhu only felt a surge of hot blood rush to his head, his heartbeat like a beating drum, and in the midst of this internal struggle, he could barely catch his breath!

Although this cheap uncle had yet to acknowledge him, he was, after all, his mother's only brother in this world. If anything were to happen to him, his mother would surely be heartbroken.

He must save him! He had to think of a way! He Yuzhu bit down hard on the tip of his tongue; the sharp pain forced him to calm himself down from his agitation.

Once a person was dragged into the Military Police headquarters, trying to rescue them would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Better to just take action!

He Yuzhu's gaze swept across the area below—he occupied the high ground, after all, and there were only thirty-some people on the other side at most, and he had a Machine Gun in his hands.

Even if he couldn't wipe them all out, he could at least cripple them!

They had guns, but their range couldn't reach him at all.

First, suppress them with firepower, then rescue the people in the chaos!

Yes, that's what he would do!

He Yuzhu's thoughts raced; no longer hesitating, he moved his mind and directly took the Type 11 Light Machine Gun and five magazines out from his space.

The cold metallic touch of the machine gun helped him steady his mind.

"Da-da-da... da-da-da-da..."

The crisp, distinct sound of the Type 11 broke through the dull sky of the Beiping winter afternoon!

Bullets erupted like flowing lava, spraying down from his high vantage point toward the area around the car parked at the mouth of the alley.

The Japanese soldiers and puppet troops standing by the car were caught off guard; in an instant, they fell in rows like harvested wheat.

For a time, fresh blood splattered, severed limbs flew, and wails rose from all sides.

He Yuzhu emptied one magazine, quickly swapped in a spare, and unleashed another round of fire!

After several rounds of the violent metal storm, eighteen or nineteen enemies already lay in pools of blood.

The remaining Japanese soldiers and puppet troops finally reacted; they scrambled in terror to find cover, firing back toward the rooftop in a panic.

He Yuzhu immediately retracted the machine gun into his space and quickly pulled a Guan Gong mask over his face, leaving only his cold, sharp eyes exposed.

He lowered his body and leaped from the roof like a civet cat, then vaulted over walls and ridges; his movements were swift and silent, and he soon circled back to the vicinity of the alley.

Those enemies relying on the courtyard for cover, seeing the machine gun fire from the roof stop, tried to poke their heads out to search for the enemy's trail, but several Hand Grenades exploded right at their feet.

"Boom! Boom, boom, boom!"

The successive explosions were deafening, shrapnel flew everywhere, smoke filled the air, and the enemies who had been lucky enough to survive went to meet the King of Hell.

Just as the smoke had yet to disperse, He Yuzhu charged into the alley!

He held a Box Cannon in each hand, firing left and right, never missing a shot.

Amidst the rapid gunfire, the remnants of the enemy who were putting up a desperate struggle fell one after another.

In the blink of an eye, most of the thirty-some enemies were wiped out; the remaining three or five cowards abandoned their vehicles and fled desperately toward the far end of the alley.

He Yuzhu rushed to the truck and used his Dagger to nimbly cut the ropes binding the people.

Most of them were so frightened they huddled with their heads in their hands; only Shen Wenqing, though his hands were bound, appeared relatively calm.

"The Japanese devils have been driven off! Hurry and run for your lives!" He Yuzhu urged in a low voice.

The group felt as if they had been granted a reprieve and fled in panic in all directions.

Shen Wenqing was about to follow them when He Yuzhu grabbed him. He whispered, "You, come with me!"

Shen Wenqing hesitated for a moment, then followed He Yuzhu as he ran forward.

He Yuzhu led Shen Wenqing over several courtyard walls in succession, then ducked into a small alley.

After running for five minutes, the two arrived at the edge of Shichahai.

Once here, blending into the crowd meant there was no more risk.

He Yuzhu stopped in the alley and asked, "Do you have a safe place to go?"

Shen Wenqing nodded, his breathing not yet fully recovered, and he looked solemnly at the masked benefactor before him: "Many thanks to you for risking your life to save me! May I ask for your honorable name? I will certainly repay this kindness in the future!"

He Yuzhu deliberately made his voice sound hoarse and low: "We are old friends, in a way. Just call me 'Ouyang Feng'. Don't feel like you owe me a favor; perhaps in the future, I really will come to collect."

Shen Wenqing cupped his hands heavily: "In that case, I shall not speak of thanks for such a great kindness!"

"Go quickly; if you delay too long, the main force of the Japanese devils will be here searching soon." He Yuzhu waved his hand.

Watching Shen Wenqing disappear at the end of the lane, He Yuzhu quickly found a secluded corner, took off the mask and put it away, then took a brand-new thick navy-blue cotton-padded jacket from his space to put on. After tidying himself up, he strolled back to He Ji restaurant unhurriedly.

There were still two tables of people eating in the shop.

He Daqing was wearing an apron, stir-frying at the stove. Seeing him enter, he glared: "Where have you been running off to again? I haven't seen a shadow of you all day!"

"Went to school," He Yuzhu brushed the snowflakes off his body, "I told the Principal that I won't be going to school in the second half of the year!"

He Daqing was stunned, and the spatula in his hand paused: "The money is already paid, and the shop doesn't need you right now, so why stop going? Don't be ridiculous!"

"The stuff they teach is incredibly boring, just a bunch of nonsense singing the praises of the Japanese devils; listening to it too much will shorten my life." He Yuzhu curled his lips in disdain.

"Hey! You brat!" He Daqing was immediately anxious and shouted in a low voice, "You have no filter on your mouth! How dare you say such things? If someone hears you and reports it, do you still want your head?"

"What's there to fear..." Before He Yuzhu could finish, the cotton curtain at the shop entrance was lifted, and Shen Wenqing walked in, carrying the chill of the outdoors and looking slightly flustered.

He Yuzhu immediately pulled him into the kitchen, put on a familiar expression, and said, "Yo, Brother Shen? Coming by at this hour, are you here for lunch or dinner?"

Seeing He Yuzhu, a trace of complex, hard-to-detect emotion flashed across Shen Wenqing's expression. She smiled somewhat awkwardly, but her gaze turned to He Daqing and she asked, "Is Shen Guizhi at home?"

He Yuzhu knew exactly what was going on, but feigned surprise as he looked at his father: "Dad, Mom is in the Houyuan, right?"

He Daqing looked at Shen Wenqing, feeling a bit strange; she had just left after eating lunch, why was she back? He suddenly realized something and asked hesitantly, "You... your surname is Shen?"

Shen Wenqing nodded.

He Daqing understood everything in an instant, a flash of excitement and realization crossing his face. He immediately put down the spatula, wiped his hands on his apron, and led Shen Wenqing by the arm toward the Houyuan: "Yes, yes, yes! Quick, come with me to the back!"

At the same time, in a grocery store on Gulou Street, the light was dim.

Lao Zhou, Captain Xiao, and Lao Qian sat at a kang table.

The charcoal fire in the brazier reflected on the three men's grave faces.

Lao Zhou's brows were tightly locked, filled with worry: "I don't know how Shen is doing right now... If he didn't see that string of chili peppers I hung out in time, it would really be precarious..."

Captain Xiao rubbed his hands, his tone as steady as possible: "There shouldn't be any major mishaps; Comrade Shen has always been reliable in his work and is not a rash person."

Lao Zhou sighed and shook his head: "We have been active at that stronghold for too long; as time goes on, it is inevitable that some people will lower their guard."

Lao Qian looked at Lao Zhou, his tone serious: "Lao Zhou, although our personnel losses were not great this time, several of our contact points have been exposed, and the comrades of the guerrilla force have had to withdraw from Si Jiu Cheng. How should we proceed with future operations?"

"It seems we can only fight a blocking action outside the city!" Captain Xiao said.