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

"Hmm?...That's true. So you've really figured things out, kid? These past two months haven't been a waste of time! Good! Third Master is happy for you!" Third Master was completely convinced now; he was proud to have another clever and capable grandson!

Zhao Mancang felt relieved. Who knew what problems might arise if Third Master continued to be suspicious? In any case, he couldn't reveal that he came from the future! As for knowing how to shoot a gun and use grenades, that was too easy. The future had shown these kinds of plots to death, and he had learned them by watching them!

……

By noon, the miners who had escaped along the railway tracks had run out of the deep mountains. After being exploited for so long, the group of people relaxed and collapsed on the sleepers to rest.

"Wu Zi, what do you want to do in the future? Do you want to go back to the army and continue serving?" Luo Xiang asked his comrade beside him.

"I haven't thought about it. I definitely won't go back to the army! Ever since Tang Datou led his troops into Yuzhou, they haven't fought many battles against the Japanese. From top to bottom, all they've been thinking about is making money, doing business, and bullying the common people! I've figured it out. There's no future in following an army like this. Rather than living in constant fear of being used as a pawn by my superiors, I'd rather find a place to become an outlaw, eat meat in large chunks, drink wine in large bowls, and have a good time. If I get the chance, I can fight the Japanese and get revenge!" Wu Zi thought to himself, his words full of longing.

"Become a bandit?... What, you want to rob and plunder ordinary people?" Luo Xiang asked strangely.

"So what if we're bandits? In this chaotic world, being a bandit at least allows us to protect ourselves! But we won't bully ordinary people. Once we've succeeded, we'll go after those traitors and blackmail them! Those puppet troops, the puppet government leaders, the detectives, and so on—we'll make sure they suffer a lot. It would be a waste of all the crimes we've committed these past few months!" Wu Zi said viciously.

"That's good! It'll be satisfying to torment them! These bastards should have been dragged out and shot long ago!" Luo Xiang was filled with righteous indignation when he mentioned the puppet army and traitors. These people eat human food but do human things, they should have been dealt with long ago!

"But first we have to get out of here alive. In this remote and impoverished mountain village, we can forget about making a name for ourselves. We'll go to Yudu. There are many people there, as well as many Japanese devils. There will be plenty of traitors who follow them, and they're all rolling in money. If we catch just one, it'll be enough to feed us for half a year!"

"Huh?... Shouldn't bandits find a mountain stronghold to develop their power? How can they be bandits in the city?"

"Hahaha, you're so narrow-minded! Cities are where the rich gather. Only brainless people would become bandits. With the skills we honed in the army, how could we not make something of ourselves in the city?" Wu Zi's gaze was firm, as if he saw a bright future ahead.

"Huh?...You can do that?..." Luo Xiang was dumbfounded. Why did being a bandit in the city sound so unreliable?

"Can't figure it out, can you? Look at this poor, desolate place, what can you do? By the time you meet a traitor, you'll have starved to death eight hundred times over! Come with me to Yudu, I'll make sure you have enough to eat!" Wu Zi said.

"Are you serious?" Luo Xiang was intrigued. What this man said was true; even getting food was difficult in these remote mountain villages, let alone making a name for themselves. If they went to Yudu and hid themselves well enough, they might actually be able to achieve something great!

"Of course! I took a liking to you after you turned the tables on the class monitor last time he exposed you! You're quite clever!" Wu Zi continued to try and win him over.

"That was all inspired by that kid! I suspect that the fight between the mine and the Japanese was his doing. When I came out, I saw that only the house where he was was empty!" Luo Xiang recalled his two casual conversations with Zhao Mancang. If he hadn't said there was a chance to escape, he wouldn't have known to prepare the iron plate for self-defense beforehand. He had also taken precautions to put the iron plate in the squad leader's pocket to frame him. Otherwise, he would have been the one who died!

"Huh? Who are you talking about?" Wu Zi suddenly turned to the side, resting his head on the rails, and asked. To pull off something so big right under the noses of the Japanese—that takes real courage and strategy! We have to get to know this kind of person!

"It's that hardworking, half-grown kid. I never believed him when he said he'd get a chance to go out, but look what happened!"

"That kid? He looks pretty average! Tell me more... Oh no! The train's coming, let's get out of here!" Wu Zi wanted to find out more about the kid, but then he heard a clanging sound from the tracks and quickly told everyone to leave.

"Huh?..." Luo Xiang looked up and saw no train in the distance.

"What the heck! Hurry up! Didn't you hear the noise with your head on the tracks? Get off the tracks, or it'll be too late!" Wu Zi said, getting up and running off the tracks.

The arrival of the train at this time must mean that the Japanese have learned about what happened at the mine and are coming to rescue us. They are currently unarmed and exhausted, so they dare not fight the Japanese head-on. However, they can still use some tricks to cause some trouble for the Japanese!

As he spoke, he secretly took a strip of cloth from his clothes and tied a fist-sized stone to the rail, then moved a slightly larger stone to weigh it down on both sides for fixation. He then set up several more such traps on the two rails and quickly pulled Luo Xiang outside.

"The Japanese devils are coming! Run!"

The others were still resting, completely unaware of the approaching danger. Hearing someone shout that the Japanese were coming, they quickly sat up to check, but finding no one around, they cursed and lay back down to rest.

"Nonsense! Where are the Japanese devils?"

"That's baseless! Those bandits were definitely no good!"

"I'm so full I don't have anything to eat!"

"Is it fun to tease people? You're such an idiot!"

……

As a result, only a few of the soldiers left; the others didn't take it seriously at all.

"Alright! You can't reason with a damned devil! Just take care of yourself!" Wu Zi said, trying to persuade Luo Xiang who was still unwilling to give up.

"...So many people..."

"Hurry up! It'll be too late if we wait any longer!"

"As long as the sentiment is there, whether they believe it or not is their business!"

"Let's go!"

The others also tried to persuade him, quickening their pace as they ran outside. When they reached a small earthen slope, Wu Zi lay down and hid his body on the other side of the slope, refusing to move.

"What are you doing? Why did you stop?" The group ran a few steps and then came back to ask.

"Let's hide here and watch the show! Maybe we can even make some money!" Wu Zi said with a wicked grin.

"Capital? What capital?" Luo Xiang also lay down and asked. The others followed suit, lying down beside the two and waiting for Wu Zi to explain.

"Just wait!" Wu Zi didn't explain further. The others didn't press him further either; no one knew what he was up to. Anyway, the place was relatively safe, and they were indeed tired.

Sure enough, a train roared in from afar a moment later. The people on the sleepers quickly got up and ran to either side. Unfortunately, it was too late. The train passed behind them, and the Japanese soldiers in the carriages opened the doors and opened fire…