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

"I died so unjustly! ...Give me back my life!..."

"I died so unjustly! ...Give me back my life!..."

The ghostly screams came again, and the patrolling Japanese soldiers were stunned when they arrived in front of the wolfhounds! The wolfhounds, which were originally as fierce as wolves, were now silent and trembling all over, like mice encountering a cat!

"Baka! What's wrong with these hunting dogs? Why aren't they moving?" The squad leader noticed the dogs' unusual behavior and asked Xu Fugui beside him.

"...It's...it's a ghost!..." Xu Fugui was already so frightened that his face turned deathly pale, his legs trembled, and he could barely speak! That afternoon, he was the one who suggested finding two hunting dogs to assist with the night patrol, and Nagano Wugong had even rewarded him with five silver dollars for it. Now, he'd actually encountered a ghost after joining the patrol!

What is something that even wolfhounds are afraid of if it's not a real ghost?

"Baka! Where did this evil spirit come from?... Let's go down and take a look!..." The squad leader, ignoring Xu Fugui, led the patrol team down into the mine. The lighting was excellent; they didn't even need to go down to see anything suspicious. But the sound was coming from inside the mine; how could they explain themselves if they didn't go down?

However, patrolling the mine was no easy task, and their legs were already trembling! The previous day, the former squad leader had met his end here, and his body was still warm! Now, with eerie and terrifying voices right beside them, and the hunting dogs inexplicably malfunctioning, how could they not be afraid?

Although there was no accident due to the ample lighting, when they returned after inspecting the mine, they saw several wolfhounds kneeling in a row guarding Xu Fugui, while Xu Fugui lay on the ground, his life hanging in the balance!

"Baka!" The squad leader stepped forward and checked Xu Fugui's neck. After confirming that he still had a heartbeat, he ordered the Japanese soldiers to bring a basin of water and pour it over his head. Xu Fugui on the ground jolted awake!

"Ah~~~ Hahahaha, the white-faced one... his eyes have been gouged out... Waaaaaah... There really is a ghost!... A ghost!..." He ran madly towards the courtyard, babbling incoherently. He stumbled and fell, quickly getting up but ignoring the pain and continuing his frantic run...

"Is this insane?...Baka!..." The squad leader didn't dare delay and ran into the courtyard to report the situation.

Xu Fugui had indeed gone mad, driven insane by fear! Just as his legs were trembling and he and his two wolfhounds were guarding the top, he vaguely heard a noise coming from the bamboo grove on the mountaintop not far away. He looked closely and oh my god! Not far away, a deathly pale face was grinning at him with its mouth wide open. Its two dark, hollow eyes hung unevenly on its face, and its hair was disheveled. It was baring its teeth and claws, ready to pounce on him!

Xu Fugui fainted on the spot, and when he woke up again, he was like this!

Surprisingly, the laborers didn't gather to cause any trouble that morning. Upon learning of what had happened the previous night, Nagano Mukoto immediately ordered Xu Fugui to be tied up and restrained, and dispatched all his soldiers to thoroughly search the area within a hundred meters of the mine. Unfortunately, nothing unusual was found by dawn, so they had to pretend nothing had happened and continue urging the laborers to work.

"Major, what should we do next? Those on night duty are so scared they've lost all their spirit..." Kato Nobuo was in a complete mess! He had naturally heard the ghostly screams last night, and they had really terrified him! The voice was indeed that of the Nationalist Army squad leader, who had spent the entire night on guard against that ghost coming to take his life, and hadn't slept much at all!

"..." Nagano Muko was also at his wit's end. He had firmly believed that someone was playing tricks and had brought in a few wolfhounds, which would surely catch the perpetrator and punish them severely. But even the wolfhounds were trembling with fear and unable to move! Could it really be the evil spirits that the Chinese say are taking lives?

"Call all the puppet troops and cooks over. Maybe these Chinese will have a solution!" After thinking for a long time, Nagano Muko decided to seek a solution from the Chinese. After all, they had lived here for generations and knew them best.

"Huh?...What can those lowly Chinese people do?" Kato Nobuo asked incredulously. After all, since the invasion of China, these puppet troops had only played the role of lackeys; how could they possibly have any problems that even the Imperial soldiers couldn't solve?

“You don’t understand. The locals know the local situation best. These people may not be good at fighting, but they might be surprisingly effective in other matters. If used properly, they can have unexpected results!” Nagano Muko advised.

"Yes, sir! I'll go get someone right away!" Kato Nobuo naturally wouldn't object to the major's decision; he had only asked that question earlier.

Soon, a dozen or so puppet soldiers were summoned in. Nagano Muko resumed his arrogant demeanor, and Kato Nobuo, standing to the side, also straightened his back and put on a stern face, looking all cocky!

"You've all heard about what happened these past two days. Major Nagano is giving you a chance. Whoever can capture that troublemaking devil will be rewarded with fifty silver dollars and promoted to captain of the Imperial Army in the mining area! This is a rare opportunity for promotion and wealth, so you should cherish it!" Kato Nobuo said in a condescending tone.

"Evil spirits? Do evil spirits really exist?"

"Didn't you hear that last night? It was screaming horribly!"

"Yes! Translator Xu has gone crazy from the heat!"

"There are no evil spirits! It must be someone playing tricks! There used to be a hooligan in our village who liked to pretend to be a ghost to scare people, especially pretty young wives. After they fainted, he would push them into the cornfield to do bad things!"

"What's going on these past two days? Two Imperial Army soldiers have died!"

"It must be those laborers causing trouble. They can't get out, so they're taking revenge on the Imperial Army!"

"My lords, I, Sanbangchui, am willing to infiltrate the laborers and investigate this matter secretly! It must be those poor souls who harbor resentment towards the Imperial Army and are deliberately playing tricks to scare people! I believe that by infiltrating among them, we can uncover the truth!" a cook wearing an apron said.

"Yoshi! What's your name?" Nagano Muko asked, his eyes lighting up.

"Reporting...Reporting to the lord, my name is Guo Dingchui, the third in my family. Everyone calls me Sanbangchui!" Sanbangchui said.

"Yoshi! Your idea is absolutely brilliant! We'll have someone escort you infiltrate that group of laborers right now, and hopefully you'll find clues and uncover the truth soon! You'll be rewarded with one hundred silver dollars and promoted to captain of the puppet army! Do a good job!" Sanbangchui's opinion coincided with his, and Nagano Wugong immediately raised the bounty to one hundred silver dollars!

"Ha...yes! I will definitely be loyal to the Imperial Army!" Overjoyed, Sanbangchui bowed to show his loyalty.

"Alright! Go ahead! I wish you success soon!" Saying this, he gestured to Kato Nobuo to arrange the matter, his face becoming much more relaxed!