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

"No problem! It's the least I can do!" Tiger was the first to speak up. Let alone taking care of his family, as long as he could go out and take care of a few more people, was it a big deal?

"I'm fine with it too!" the puppet army leader chimed in.

"Of course!" Third Master naturally wouldn't object.

"Alright! Since everyone agrees, let's make this our first rule. Those who sacrifice themselves fighting the Japanese are our saviors to those who escape, and we should repay their kindness tenfold!" Zhao Mancang established the first rule!

“Okay!” The other three nodded in agreement.

“Great! Then I’m definitely joining! This rule is very reasonable. Although I’m an orphan with no family, this rule is good! It’s humane and worth it!” Zhang Laosan reiterated his firm stance and silently walked over to stand next to the group.

With someone taking the lead, the rest of the people became enthusiastic. People who were just trying to make a living wouldn't risk their lives fighting the Japanese, but seeing the hope of escaping and having their worries resolved made a difference! Even though the hope was slim, it was still better than staying here with no chance of survival, right?

In no time, of the twenty-eight laborers in the room, only the three bandits in the corner had not joined in; the rest of them were all surrounding Zhao Mancang, staring at them!

"Don't look down on us, we won't do it! I'm not looking down on you, but with so few of you, you wouldn't even make a dent in the Japanese! Can you even fire a gun? Do you have any weapons? You think you can fight the Japanese with just two bare hammers? Don't dream about it!" the skinny bandit said sarcastically.

“That’s right! Do you know the third leader of Erlong Mountain? We’ve done plenty of robbery, kidnapping, and extortion, but we still got captured by the Japanese. You poor wretches are just asking for death by fighting the Japanese!” said another bandit, Long Hair.

"Let's talk about the steamed buns first! I can't control what you do with the Japanese, but now that we know about the steamed buns, we have to get a share! You don't want the Japanese to find out about tonight's events, do you?" The third leader, as the two men called him, pulled aside his two underlings and said to Zhao Mancang in an unfriendly voice.

Although he couldn't see their faces clearly, Zhao Mancang guessed that the three of them must be very smug right now! They must be very proud of their idea of ​​eating steamed buns without doing any work!

"Don't even think about it! Why should we give you any?"

"Bandits are bandits! If they're so capable, they should rob the Japanese! What kind of skill is it to rob us?"

"We can't give it to them! These guys are ungrateful wretches!"

"Yes, we can't give it to them!"

"Haha, you won't give it to me, huh? Do you think the Japanese will come over if I shout at the top of my lungs right now?" the third leader said in an unfriendly tone.

"That's right! Just one shout and your business is over! Maybe we'll even get some official positions because of the report and won't have to do the hard labor with you!" the long-haired man chimed in. His voice was extremely arrogant; this kind of choking was incredibly satisfying!

"..."

Now everyone fell silent. They had just seen a glimmer of hope, but before they could even begin, someone had grabbed them by the throat! Everyone was furious! They all remained silent, waiting to see how Zhao Mancang would handle the situation.

"Hahaha, bandits are indeed bandits, they're quite adept at this kind of extortion! It's just a few steamed buns, no need to make such a fuss over such a small matter!" Zhao Mancang said as he returned to his bunk, flipped open his pillow, took out three steamed buns, and handed them to the three men.

"Haha, that's more like it! When I extort money, I always ask for small croakers or at least silver dollars. This time, you're only getting a few steamed buns. You're not losing out!" The third leader was very pleased to see the other party give in, and his words were full of the tone that the other party had gotten the better deal!

Just as the other person reached out to take the steamed bun and was about to take a bite, a tattered quilt was pulled down over his head. Then, with a "crack," the Third Leader's body, which had been sitting, slowly fell down and could no longer make a sound!

"You...you killed..." The long-haired man realized something was wrong and was about to shout when he felt a large hand cover his mouth. Then a strong force came, his head tilted to the side, and there was another "crack" sound. His body slowly fell down and met the third leader!

Silence! The room was deathly silent!

With a soft "plop," another bandit, Skinny Monkey, quickly got up, knelt down, and began to kowtow!

"Please spare me, young master! ... It was all the Third Master's fault... From now on, you are my master... I will serve you like a slave..." He kept kowtowing as he spoke. If there hadn't been bedding on the bed, he would have definitely broken his forehead from kowtowing!

They were bandits who did plenty of robbing, kidnapping, and extortion, but they rarely used knives to kill people! The third leader and the long-haired bandit were arrogantly asking for steamed buns one moment, and the next moment their necks were snapped and they were dead! How could a small fry like him not be afraid?

They say the ruthless are afraid of the reckless, and this guy really dared to kill! Now he's all alone, and he doesn't dare challenge him! The third leader isn't his father, so there's no need for him to avenge him, but the problem is, he doesn't have the guts! This time, he's truly met his match!

At this moment, Zhao Mancang's heart was pounding, and his hands and feet were trembling. If the lights were on in the room, you would see the terror on his face!

But this is not the time to be afraid. If we want to succeed and escape this hellish place, we must be strong now! Otherwise, all our efforts tonight will have been in vain!

He pinched his thigh hard to force himself to calm down, took a deep breath, and said in a low voice:

"Let you go? Let you go and report to the Japanese? You bandits have done plenty of bad things, haven't you? Today I'll act on behalf of Heaven and wipe you out, which will be doing a service to the people!"

"No, no! From now on, I will follow your lead. If you tell me to go east, I will never go west; if you tell me to catch a dog, I will never chase a chicken! I will serve you wholeheartedly to fight the Japanese and escape. Even if you use me as a pawn, I will have no complaints!" Skinny Monkey quickly continued to plead.

"Hmph! You talk a good game! Why should I believe you won't betray us?" Zhao Mancang continued to ask viciously.

"Why should I?... I swear! I swear on our ancestor! With our ancestor above, this skinny monkey hereby swears that from now on I will follow you wholeheartedly to fight the Japanese devils, serve you to achieve great things and lead everyone to escape! If I break this oath, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!"

"...Young master!...Look, I've already sworn an oath...Our ancestor is a god in our hearts..." After making the oath, the skinny monkey slumped down there, pleading with no will to live.

"That depends on your performance! What will you say when the Japanese find the body at dawn?" Zhao Mancang saw that the other party swore an oath to the patriarch, so he did not intend to make things difficult for him anymore. After all, people in this era still respected the patriarch. When entering the profession, they would first offer incense to the patriarch and pray for his blessing!

Most importantly, he was scared! How could he kill someone when his hands and feet were trembling? How could a college student driven to murder not be afraid?