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

"Cangwa, what are you doing not sleeping in the middle of the night?..." Third Master said groggily as he woke up.

"Shh...eat quickly, don't let anyone find out!" Zhao Mancang whispered. It wouldn't be good if someone found out; sharing a portion might not be crucial, but whether they could keep the secret was another matter!

"Huh?...This is...beef!..." It took Third Master a while to realize that what he was holding was beef! Despite making a living by herding cattle, he had eaten beef very few times in his decades of life! He quickly took a bite, and it was so fragrant and delicious!

"Where did you get this from?" he asked softly while eating beef.

"...Don't worry about that, as long as we have good food every day from now on!...We still need to find a way to escape when we get the chance...This place isn't a long-term solution!" Zhao Mancang explained softly while keeping a watchful eye on his surroundings.

It wasn't that he was keeping it a secret from Third Master; this connection was crucial for their future livelihood, and it was better if one of them knew less.

"You're keeping it a secret from Third Master? Fine! I won't ask if you don't want to tell me. You don't forget Third Master when there's good food. I haven't spoiled you for nothing!" Third Master didn't delve any further into the matter of you eating beef with your body tilted to the side.

Zhao Mancang handed him two more steamed buns and a bottle of cola, then grabbed another bun and started eating heartily himself. Even though he'd already eaten a piece of beef and a bottle of cola, he felt that finishing another bun was no problem!

The two of them ate and drank to their hearts' content, finishing everything and then lying flat on their beds to rest. They had to hide the two Coke bottles carefully; if someone found them, it would be troublesome!

He lifted a corner of the mattress to reveal the messy weeds, parted the weeds, dug a small hole in the hard ground with a dagger, buried the two Coke bottles along with their caps, and then finally felt at ease to go to sleep.

After a good meal, I slept soundly. When I opened my eyes again, the Japanese soldiers were banging a broken gong outside, urging everyone to get to work. After getting dressed and stepping out of the thatched hut, I couldn't help but feel nervous. Had the Japanese soldiers discovered that something was missing?

Yes! They did take quite a lot from the kitchen last night. Even though they took from the largest selection, a careful cook could still spot the problem. If the Japanese really start yelling, his lifeline will be exposed, and it might even drag these laborers down with him!

"Get to work quickly! Stop slacking off!" The Japanese soldiers counted the number of people and urged everyone to go down into the mine to work, seemingly unaware that anything was missing.

Zhao Mancang, hidden in the crowd, breathed a sigh of relief. The fact that the Japanese hadn't made any unusual moves meant his operation hadn't been discovered, allowing him to continue using this lead indefinitely. He just needed to be careful when taking things; he couldn't touch the rare or scarce items, no matter how delicious they were. Taking a few of the large bowls of beef and baskets of steamed buns from last night wouldn't attract the Japanese's attention, and he could get away with it!

The day's work was simple and monotonous, and I finally made it back to the thatched hut after dark and fell asleep immediately. In the middle of the night, I sneaked out and successfully stole two pieces of pig's head meat, two bottles of cola, and a few steamed buns. After eating and drinking my fill with Third Master, I slept soundly.

For several days in a row, their extra meals went smoothly, and the nourishing food gradually strengthened their bodies. Although Zhao Mancang was still thin, he was much stronger than before. Just as a horse won't get fat without night grazing, an extra meal at night is also very nourishing for people!

With the food problem solved, they started thinking about how to escape, counting on their fingers the conditions needed to do so.

First, you need to be familiar with the terrain, not just the mining area, but also the surrounding area. Otherwise, if you plunge headlong into the deep mountains and forests and encounter a cliff, it's a dead end.

Another key point is to understand the strength and habits of the Japanese forces and find opportunities to create chaos. Normally, the Japanese guards are as secure as an iron barrel, so you can't afford to be caught without a major incident to attract their attention! Once you're caught by the Japanese, it's certain death, the kind where you have no chance of survival!

The most important thing is people! You can't cause trouble and create chaos without people! If it's just him and Third Master, let alone escape, they'll be caught in bullets before they even get out of the mining area!

The thought of people brought to mind the suffering fellow workers filling the room. He glanced around at the soundly sleeping men, pondering how to recruit them. In this environment, subduing them with food wouldn't be difficult; even a single steamed bun might be enough to tempt some to risk their lives!

But choosing reliable and capable people from a bunch of rough men is no easy task! If such a big operation were leaked in advance, the Japanese would cover it up completely, and no one would be able to escape!

Alright! We still need to observe carefully and discern thoroughly, or we could lose everything!

On a small scale, this is called a "prison break," like those TV shows where you just find a supply truck and it's done. On a larger scale, it's a "riot," requiring team building, personnel deployment, creating opportunities, and perfect timing, location, and people! It's incredibly stressful!

But he's not the type to worry. From elementary school to university, he's never even been a class monitor for a single day. Organizing something this big really makes him a little unsure. But now, even if he's being forced into it, he has to do it. So many people are like silent gourds, doing nothing but work and sleeping all day without saying a word. If they all stay put like Third Master, they'll truly be pathetic transmigrators who die a miserable death! No need to check, he's definitely the first one on the entire internet!

If I manage to escape alive, I'll fight those Japanese devils to the death and avenge them! Putting everything else aside, I'll make those bastards pay back for all the suffering I've endured these past few days, with interest!

From that day on, he became much more cautious. He observed the Japanese soldiers, assessed their strength, recorded their activity patterns, and planned their actions. He also observed the strengths of his roommates, selecting key members for his team. He deliberately stole two extra steamed buns each night and hid them. These were his bargaining chips; without any incentive or tangible benefit, who would risk their lives to fight him? It's no exaggeration to say that their escape depended entirely on these steamed buns—their most precious strategic resource!

"Young man, what did you mean when you asked me last time that I planned to stay in this godforsaken place for the rest of my life? Do you have a way to get out?" After lunch, the prisoner Luo Xiang cornered him in the toilet again and immediately asked the same question he had asked him last time.

"Hmm?...So you have some ideas now? Want to go out?" Zhao Mancang asked the big guy. He was inwardly cursing at the guy; it had been several days before he remembered to ask him. His reaction time was way too slow!

“Who wouldn’t want to get out of this godforsaken place? We’re exhausted like dead dogs all day long, and we could lose our lives at any moment. Staying here for even one more day could mean certain death! It’s much more dangerous than being in the army! Do you have a way?” Luo Xiang asked, his eyes shining with anticipation.

"No! If I had, I would have left long ago! Don't you soldiers have any ingenious methods?" Zhao Mancang naturally wouldn't admit to having a way, and instead asked the other party.