Spy war in the Republic of China, peak undercover

The icy river water instantly enveloped Lu Yang, and the biting cold suddenly cleared his consciousness, which was a little blurred due to blood loss and fatigue.

The old man tied to his body was like a heavy anchor, dragging him down. Behind him, the sound of gunfire, the barking of dogs, and the shouts of Japanese soldiers intertwined on the river bank into a cacophony of death. Bullets occasionally glided across the water, stirring up tiny waves.

Lu Yang gritted his teeth and paddled with all his might, using his still-moving right arm and legs to keep himself and Lao Wang's heads above water. The wound on his left shoulder soaked in the river, sending waves of ripping pain through him, but he dared not stop. The intermittent blinking of the car lights on the other side was his only hope, a sign that his comrades were waiting for him.

"Sato's gone..." This thought sustained him, but the sight of Lao Wang's cold, stiff body pressed against his back filled him with grief and anger. "Lao Wang, hold on, I'll take you home..." he muttered to himself, even though he knew Lao Wang would never hear him again.

The current was stronger than expected, especially in the center. Lu Yang felt his strength draining away at a rapid pace, and each stroke was incredibly difficult. He saw the searchlight beam from the shore sweeping over him, and immediately took a deep breath and dove into the water. The icy water pressed against his eardrums, and the beam of light overhead slowly passed by. Under the water, there was only silence and darkness. He didn't dare stay for too long, and struggled to swim upwards. When he resurfaced, he coughed violently and choked on several mouthfuls of turbid river water.

The pursuers behind him didn't seem to give up. He could faintly hear the sound of motorboat engines starting up, and the beams of searchlights became more and more dense, searching the river like a net of light. Lu Yang knew he had to reach the other side as soon as possible.

Guided by the faint moonlight and the lights of cars on the other side, he determined his direction and swam hard towards the shore. After an unknown amount of time, he finally felt the soft mud beneath his feet. Delighted, he used up his last bit of strength to drag Lao Wang's body ashore.

"Comrade Lu!" Several figures in coarse cloth immediately rushed out from the darkness on the shore and hurriedly pulled him and Lao Wang onto solid ground. The leader was a dark-faced man with sharp, anxious eyes.

"Hurry! The Japanese ship is coming!" someone shouted in a low voice.

Lu Yang collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, soaked and shivering with cold. He pointed at himself, then at Lao Wang: "Sato... is dead... Lao Wang... sacrificed..." He wanted to talk about the documents in the briefcase, but when he opened his mouth, he only coughed violently.

"We got it! The radio station received part of your message!" the dark-faced man said in a deep voice, "You're a hero! Quick, we have to move immediately!"

Two men lifted Old Wang's body, while the other two supported the nearly exhausted Lu Yang. They quickly disappeared into the night and dense forest on the shore. Behind them, the roar of Japanese motorboat engines grew closer on the river, their searchlight beams futilely sweeping across the area where they had just landed. The darkness of the dense forest temporarily swallowed them all, swallowing up the fleeting victory brought by Sato's death and the heavy sorrow brought by Old Wang's sacrifice.

Deep in the dense forest, a dilapidated mountain temple became a temporary refuge for Lu Yang and his comrades. Under the dim light of a kerosene lamp, a dark-faced man known as "Lao Hei" tore open the blood-soaked clothing on Lu Yang's left shoulder. The wound, flesh ripped open, revealed the bone. Another comrade used herbs and strong liquor to perform a crude disinfection and bandage. The excruciating pain made veins bulge on Lu Yang's forehead, but he gritted his teeth and remained silent. Lao Wang's body lay in a corner, covered with a worn military coat.

"Comrade Lu, you did a great job! With the death of that old devil Sato, the devil's command system will definitely be in chaos for a while." Lao Hei said in a deep voice while helping to hold Lu Yang down, "But now is not the time to breathe. Did you get anything useful from Sato?"

Lu Yang took a deep breath and pointed at the muddy leather briefcase that was casually thrown on the ground: "There... Sato's... bag..."

A young comrade immediately picked up the briefcase and carefully opened it. In addition to a few regular documents, the most conspicuous thing was a battle map tied with red rope and a telegram transcript marked "Top Secret".

Lao Hei took the map and telegram and examined them carefully under the light. On the map, a striking red arrow led from the Japanese garrison's current position, along a hidden mountain road, directly toward Yingzui Cliff, a crucial supply depot in our rear. The contents of the telegram were even more astonishing, detailing a surprise attack plan codenamed "Lightning" (Inazuma): Using the remaining armored forces of the Sato Regiment as the core, supplemented by elite infantry, they would exploit the cover of darkness and speed to infiltrate and attack Yingzui Cliff directly within 48 hours, severing the lifeline of our frontline troops! The telegram also mentioned the requirement for radio silence and manual intelligence transmission before the operation began to prevent leaks.

"Damn it! What a vicious plan!" Lao Hei slapped his thigh. "If we lose Eagle's Beak Cliff, our troops ahead will be in danger! 48 hours... time is too tight!"

Lu Yang struggled to sit up, looking at the red arrow on the map, his eyes sharp: "Our manpower can't stop their armored forces. We must kill them before they set off, or on the way!" He remembered what he saw in the Japanese camp and the arrangement in Sato's tent3.

"We can't fight them head-on," Lu Yang gasped, "but we can make them 'get lost' or 'break down'." He pointed to a narrow pass called "Wild Wolf Valley" on the map. "This is the only way to go. The terrain is difficult and it's a good place to set an ambush. And..." Lu Yang's eyes fell on a Japanese internal communication code book (although it's an old version, it might come in handy) and several blank marching order papers that Sato had found in his briefcase. "Maybe we can give them some 'information'."

Lao Hei's eyes lit up: "What do you mean...?"

"Let's act separately." A trace of determination flashed in Lu Yang's eyes. "Lao Hei, you take the main force to set up an ambush in Wild Wolf Valley. Make the most of the terrain, blow up the roads, and delay them. I need someone to cooperate with us. Let's find a way to interfere with their advance reconnaissance troops. It would be best if we could forge an order to make them take the wrong path or delay their departure time." This would require a huge risk and might even lead to going deep into the edge of the enemy camp again.

"It's too dangerous!" Lao Hei immediately objected, "You're so badly injured, if you continue to provoke the Japs..."

"There's no time!" Lu Yang interrupted him, "This is our only chance. Find me some relatively clean clothes, some medicine, and a brother who is familiar with the local terrain and has a quick mind. We must finish before dark tomorrow!"

Night fell once again. At the Wild Wolf Valley Pass, Lao Hei and a dozen elite guerrillas were frantically planting explosives and moving rocks, preparing to surprise the approaching Japanese "lightning" force. Every stone, every shovelful of earth, carried the resolve to stop the invaders.

Meanwhile, in a dense forest several kilometers from the Japanese camp, Lu Yang changed into relatively intact civilian clothes, salvaged from a fallen soldier. His face was smeared with mud and his left arm was securely slung with a cloth strip. He was accompanied by a young soldier named "Monkey," renowned for his agility and quick thinking. Before them lay the map he had taken from Sato's bag and several blank sheets of paper. In the dim moonlight, Lu Yang, mimicking the Japanese military format and the wording Sato might have used, carefully filled out a fake reconnaissance route change order with a captured pen.

"Monkey, we need to get close to their outpost and let their scouts pick up this 'accidental' thing." Lu Yang whispered, his voice a little hoarse from pain and fatigue. "Then, we have to find a way to destroy at least one of their motorcycles or communication vehicles. The noise shouldn't be too loud, but it should be enough to give them a headache for a while."

The two exchanged glances, each seeing the determination to die. Like two ghosts, they once again slithered into the perilous darkness, heading towards the possible route of the Japanese army's advance.

Deep in the dense forest, a dilapidated mountain temple served as a makeshift refuge. Under the dim light of a kerosene lamp, Lao Hei tore open the blood-soaked clothing on Lu Yang's left shoulder. The wound, flesh ripped open, revealed the bone. Another comrade bandaged it with herbs and strong alcohol. The excruciating pain caused veins to bulge on Lu Yang's forehead, but he gritted his teeth and remained silent. Lao Wang's body was placed in a corner, covered with a worn military coat.

"Comrade Lu, you did a great job! Once Sato dies, the Japanese's command system will definitely be in chaos for a while." Lao Hei said in a deep voice while holding Lu Yang down, "But now is not the time to breathe. Did you get anything useful from Sato?"

Lu Yang took a breath and pointed to the muddy leather briefcase on the ground: "There...Sato's...bag..."

A young comrade immediately picked up the briefcase and carefully opened it. Inside, besides a few regular documents, the most conspicuous were a battle map tied with red rope and a telegram transcript marked "Top Secret."

Lao Hei took the map and telegram and examined them closely under the light. On the map, a red arrow traced the route from the Japanese garrison along a hidden mountain road, pointing directly toward Yingzui Cliff, a supply depot in our rear. The telegram outlined a surprise attack plan, codenamed "Lightning": Using the remaining armored forces of the Sato Regiment as the core, supplemented by elite infantry, they would exploit the cover of darkness and speed to infiltrate and attack Yingzui Cliff within 48 hours, severing our front-line supply lines. The telegram also mentioned the requirement for radio silence and manual intelligence transmission before the operation to prevent leaks.

"Damn it! What a diabolical plan!" Lao Hei slapped his thigh. "If we lose Eagle's Beak Cliff, the troops ahead will be in danger! 48 hours... time is too tight!"

Lu Yang struggled to sit up, looking at the red arrow with sharp eyes: "Our manpower can't stop their armored forces. We must kill them before they set off or on the way!" He recalled what he saw in the Japanese camp, and the arrangement in Sato's tent flashed through his mind.

"We can't fight head-on," Lu Yang said breathlessly, "but we can make them 'get lost' or 'break down'." He pointed to the "Wild Wolf Valley" pass on the map, "This is the only way to go, the terrain is dangerous, and it's a good place to set an ambush. And..." His eyes fell on the old communication code book and several blank marching order papers that Sato took out of his briefcase, "We can give them some 'information'."

Lao Hei's eyes lit up: "What do you mean...?"

"We will split up." Lu Yang's eyes flashed with determination. "Lao Hei, you lead the main force to set up an ambush in Wild Wolf Valley. Use the terrain to blow up the road and delay them. I need someone to cooperate with us to disrupt their advance reconnaissance force. It would be best if we forged an order to make them take the wrong route or delay their departure."

"It's too dangerous!" Lao Hei immediately objected, "You're so badly injured, if you continue to provoke the devils..."

"There's no time!" Lu Yang interrupted him, "This is the only chance. Find me some clean clothes, some medicine, and a brother who is familiar with the terrain and has a quick mind. We must finish before dark tomorrow!"

Night fell over the land. At the Wild Wolf Valley Pass, Lao Hei and a dozen elite guerrillas frantically planted explosives and moved rocks, preparing to surprise the Japanese "Lightning" troops. Every stone, every shovelful of earth, carried the resolve to stop the invaders.

Meanwhile, in the dense forest several kilometers from the Japanese camp, Lu Yang changed into civilian clothes salvaged from fallen soldiers, smeared mud on his face, and held his left arm in a sling. He was accompanied by a young soldier named "Monkey," renowned for his agility and quick thinking. Before them lay Sato's map and a blank order sheet. In the dim moonlight, Lu Yang, mimicking the Japanese military format and Sato's wording, used a confiscated pen to fill out a fake reconnaissance route change order.

"Monkey, we need to get close to their outpost and have the scouts pick it up after accidentally dropping it," Lu Yang whispered, his voice hoarse from pain and fatigue. "Then destroy a lead motorcycle or communications vehicle. We can't make too much noise, but we have to give them a headache."

The two exchanged glances, their determination evident. Like two ghosts, they slithered into the perilous darkness, stalking the Japanese advance route.

The night wind blew through the dense forest, bringing a hint of chill. Lu Yang and Monkey crouched in a thicket, less than a hundred meters from the Japanese outpost. The outpost was dimly lit. Two Japanese soldiers patrolled with guns. A motorcycle parked next to the tent, its lights dimly lit. Lu Yang whispered, "Monkey, go around to the right and throw a rock to distract one. I'll deal with the other and the car."

The monkey nodded and moved quietly. A moment later, a rock hit the side of the tent, making a soft sound. A Japanese soldier, cursing, walked over to investigate. Lu Yang seized the opportunity to pounce, his dagger silently slashing across the other soldier's throat, sending the body limp to the ground.

He quickly approached the motorcycle and stuffed the fake order paper into the gap under the seat, pretending it had been left behind. He then pulled a small piece of confiscated explosives from his pocket and taped it under the fuel tank, setting it to explode in five minutes. He retreated into the bushes and whispered, "Let's go!"