I used the Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword) to fight the Japanese.

The patrol was better off with more men, but the Japanese soldier in the watchtower was in real trouble. He naturally heard the ghostly cries too, and after searching back and forth with his searchlight, he couldn't find the source of the sound! Standing on higher ground, the sound seemed even more ethereal, and the Japanese soldier, alone with only a searchlight, was truly terrified! His legs and jaw trembled simultaneously, and he could barely hold the searchlight, swinging it wildly back and forth!

"Baka!" the Japanese soldier cursed, forcing himself to calm down. Seeing the patrol heading towards the mine, he felt a little relieved. He deliberately fixed the searchlight in the patrol's direction, illuminating as far as possible, hoping they would discover the problem and prove it was just an accident, not some evil spirit seeking revenge!

"Give me back my life..."

The sound remained mournful and ethereal, seemingly coming from the rubble where the bodies had been dumped. This terrified the Japanese soldier on the watchtower. Especially after the patrol disappeared from the light, leaving him completely alone to guard the entire mining area. If his legs hadn't been trembling so badly he couldn't muster the strength, he would have gone down to wake his comrades long ago!

"Give me back my life..."

Baka! Are all my companions in the courtyard fast asleep? Why isn't anyone coming out to check on us with such a loud noise? Why isn't the patrol team back yet? Could we really be facing a vengeful spirit?

When the sound rang out again, the Japanese soldier couldn't hold back any longer. He let go of his hands, squatted down, covered his ears tightly, and lowered his head as if he wanted to hide his head in his stomach!

Soon, two figures appeared near the barbed wire fence. Seeing the searchlight stop moving, the two exchanged a glance, quickly untied the barbed wire fence, and ran towards the thatched hut.

"Give me back my life..."

Just before entering the house, the two of them simultaneously uttered a voice that sent shivers down one's spine, and then witnessed a miraculous scene!

With a sharp "splat," the Japanese soldier on the watchtower fell to his death, and that was the end of it!

The two men, once inside their blankets, couldn't help but feel a surge of secret delight. Pretending to be ghosts to scare the Japanese soldiers was an experiment they'd tried after witnessing the horrific scene at Luanshilong. Their original intention was simply to disturb the soldiers' sleep and prepare for loading the trucks a few days later. Unexpectedly, the guy on the watchtower was such a coward; a shout nearby startled him so much that he fell off the tower!

It seems the Japanese aren't all superhuman! They're still afraid of ghosts. Is this because they've done too many bad things and have a guilty conscience?

However, before they could enjoy their happiness for long, a sharp whistle broke the silence of the night, and soon they heard the sound of orderly footsteps outside, followed by the shouts of the Japanese soldiers!

What was bound to happen has happened, and so quickly!

"Gather! Get up! Everyone out here! Hurry up!"

"It's still dark! What's wrong with those Japanese devils?!"

"Who knows! Cui's tight schedule might mean a train carrying ore is coming. We're going to have to endure another tough time!"

"That shouldn't be! They should be arriving in four more days, right?"

"That's hard to say. The Japanese are fighting all over the place, and they're using up all that iron ore to make guns and cannons very quickly!"

"Is it really necessary to wake people up in the middle of the night to work? Don't they want people to live?"

Unlike the constant complaints from the other rooms, Zhao Mancang immediately urged everyone to hide what they had collected the day before upon hearing that they needed to gather. Secrets couldn't be kept in the rooms; the best way to avoid being discovered was to bury them under the bedding!

The group frantically dug small pits with scrap metal to hide their belongings, and when they emerged, they were the last to leave. Looking outside, they were startled by the sight: all the Japanese soldiers, fully armed, had surrounded them. A squad of soldiers was searching each room, seemingly looking for something. Captain Nagano Mukoto and Vice-Captain Kato Nobuo paced back and forth in front of them.

"Hey, why are you out so late?" Kato and the others stood still, pointed at him, and questioned him in a deep voice.

"T-Tai-jun, we were too tired yesterday and slept very soundly. When we heard the assembly call, we were so flustered that we couldn't find our clothes. The chaos made us a little late..." Zhao Mancang said timidly, pointing to his shoes to indicate that the other party should check.

At this moment, he was wearing a worn-out cloth shoe on one side and a worn-out yellow rubber shoe on the other, so they were obviously not a pair.

"Hmm?..." Kato Nobuo followed his finger and saw that the guy was indeed wearing different shoes, clearly having grabbed whichever shoe he was in the chaos. Looking around, he noticed that several other people were dressed the same way.

"Lift your feet up!" Kato clearly had no intention of letting them off the hook, beckoning several Japanese soldiers over to inspect the soles of their shoes one by one.

This trick is quite clever. The soil inside the mine is different from the soil above. As long as there is fresh soil stuck to the soles of the shoes, it can be determined that the person went out at night. Based on this, it can be determined that the person is the "ghost" tonight and there is no way to escape!

The Japanese soldiers clearly knew the "ghostly cries" came from the mine, so they immediately checked the soles of their shoes. However, Zhao Mancang and Hu Zi had been digging in the house to hide things before coming out, and the ground inside the thatched hut wasn't dug very deep and the soil was dry, so the Japanese shouldn't be able to find anything. Despite this, they were still somewhat worried, but at this moment they had no choice but to bite the bullet and accept the inspection.

As expected, the Japanese soldiers didn't notice anything different about the soles of the shoes. After saluting Kato, they continued checking the people in the other rooms, which made Zhao Mancang unconsciously breathe a sigh of relief. Tiger, whether confident or unaware of the intentions, remained calm and composed throughout, a stark contrast to the tension and fear he displayed during the mission.

Seeing that they were not acting strangely, Kato Nobuo stopped watching them and stood aside to wait for the results of the two teams of Japanese soldiers' inspection. Sure enough, not long after, the other team of Japanese soldiers who had searched each room returned. One of the soldiers, holding three or four pieces of iron that had fallen from his shovel, came up to Kato and muttered something. Then, led by this soldier, Kato walked towards them!

Zhao Mancang's calmed emotions tightened again. If the iron sheet was found in their house, it would be a disaster! Not only would several days of effort be wasted, but the entire house could potentially lose its life!

Those around him were extremely nervous when they saw Kato approaching with the sheet of iron. Tiger clenched his fist, ready to make a move, but Zhao Mancang stopped him in time, shaking his head and quietly waiting for things to unfold.

The Japanese soldier, accompanied by Kato Nobuo, passed by them, glanced at them, and walked straight towards the group of Nationalist soldiers without lingering. This immediately put them at ease, allowing them to breathe a sigh of relief. Just now, their hearts had been pounding like drums, and they were all prepared to fight to the death!