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

It's clearly impossible for a hospital to be located deep in the mountains and forests, so the location of this secret base is obvious!

During this period, the Japanese invaders' research into biological and chemical weapons, including bacteriological bombs, nerve agents, asphyxiating agents, and putrefactive agents, was utterly heinous! The infamous "Unit 731" used living people as experimental subjects, and tens of thousands of civilians alone perished as "maruda" (logs)! Countless anti-Japanese soldiers also died under these biological and chemical weapons!

Fight! Even if it costs the lives of everyone in the Mo Dao Group, we must destroy this secret base! We will wipe out every single one of these heinous organizations we encounter, even if it means being utterly destroyed!

"Go back and get some sleep first, then we'll go again tomorrow morning!" Mancang said.

"Huh?... Just the two of us?..." Tiger asked, puzzled. What could just the two of them do?

"We need a foolproof plan to take this secret base, otherwise our brothers will just lose their lives for nothing! Let's go over there and figure out the Japanese deployment first!" Mancang said solemnly.

"Understood!" Tiger breathed a sigh of relief. He was willing to die for his fellow villagers, but he couldn't let his brothers be dragged down with him.

After seeing Hu Zi off, Man Cang fell into deep thought. The Japanese secret base was undoubtedly heavily guarded. Just the machine guns and electrified barbed wire that Hu Zi had seen alone would give them a hard time. And what did they have? Including the eight or nine newcomers, they had less than thirty men. They had plenty of guns, but their marksmanship was woefully inadequate. After the battle at Wanrendong, their machine gun ammunition was running low; they couldn't afford to unleash a barrage like last time for long!

There are plenty of bows, crossbows, and arrows; swarms of crossbows and wheeled crossbows can be replenished at any time. However, opportunities to use these weapons must be created!

The contrast between the two really gives one a sense of helplessness, like a tiger trying to eat the sky but having no way to put its claws down!

Early in the morning, Mancang and Huzi arrived at Wangjiagou to investigate the situation. When they arrived, Mancang's heart sank again!

The compound was surrounded by dense barbed wire and patrols, making it impossible to get close. The outermost layer of barbed wire was estimated to be at least 200 meters from the compound; it was simply impossible to sneak past without being detected by the Japanese!

The difficulties ahead were even more intractable. Outside the barbed wire fence in the mountains, only the gate defenses could be seen. Through the gate, one could only see Japanese soldiers coming and going and some people wearing white coats and masks. Nothing else could be seen.

To think that you could take over this secret base based on this little bit of information is simply wishful thinking!

"Can we get over there?" Mancang asked, pointing to the mountains and forests opposite.

"It should be possible, I've never been there before." Tiger also understood the difficulty of this mission; if they didn't understand the intricacies of the place, they couldn't fight the battle!

“Let’s go take a look!” Mancang said, putting away his binoculars.

The two quietly retreated from the forest and returned to the main road, stealthily making their way to the other side of the valley. The valley was eerily quiet; the distant roar of cars from a small courtyard was particularly clear. A stream flowed through the valley floor, its clear water devoid of even a single fish.

"Don't wade in! This water is poisonous!" Mancang said, pointing to the stream at the bottom of the valley.

"Huh?..." Tiger looked at the stream at his feet and was slightly taken aback. It was already the middle of summer, and it was one thing that there were no small fish or shrimp in the stream, but there wasn't even a single tadpole! You know, when they were little, they used to catch frogs on both sides of this stream, but now the water plants on both sides were withered and yellow in large patches!

“Cross over there,” Mancang said, pointing to the exposed rocks not far away.

Tiger followed closely behind with a gloomy face, his hatred for the Japanese devils deepening.

The two cautiously traversed the valley, turning back to gaze at the withered yellow vegetation at the bottom, their hearts heavy with a sense of dread. White lab coats, a polluted stream, withered grass and trees on both banks—now they were certain this secret base was indeed the biochemical research facility they least wanted to see!

Walking along the forest here, we were soon blocked by a dense barbed wire fence again. Just like the other side, the innermost ring was secured with dry wooden stakes, which were obviously electrified!

Continuing forward along the outer edge of the barbed wire fence, climbing a large tree some distance away from the fence, the entire courtyard was revealed through the binoculars!

The dozen or so mud-brick and tile-roofed houses still stood in the compound, though the Japanese had added many more bungalows. Telegraph poles stretched along the main road to the entrance, and a stone wall divided the compound into two parts. The front part was probably the living area, with a dozen or so military vehicles parked there, and people walking back and forth.

The latter part of the area was much quieter. Only one military vehicle was loading goods in front of a bungalow, while the other doors were closed, and it was unclear what was going on inside.

The Japanese soldiers carrying the goods all wore gas masks, and the skull symbols on the boxes they carried were very conspicuous!

I took out my notebook and roughly sketched the yard and its surrounding facilities, prominently marking the loading and unloading room. I used my thumb to measure the distance: seven hundred meters from the big tree to the yard!

This distance left the two of them feeling helpless!

The two stayed in the tree for a day and a night, recording everything from the frequency of patrols, the Japanese soldiers' schedules in the compound, vehicle entry and exit records, and the locations of various firing points before quietly leaving the valley.

"Master Cang! Don't fight this compound! With our strength, we can't possibly take down this tough nut!" Hu Zi said, grabbing Man Cang's arm as they left the valley.

"Haha, now you know fear?" Mancang laughed, seeing Hu Zi's worried expression.

"I'm scared! Really scared! That dense barbed wire, so many defensive structures, so many Japanese soldiers... they're much more formidable than pillboxes!" Tiger readily admitted! Admitting defeat in front of the captain isn't shameful; it's better than sending his brothers to their deaths!

"Aren't you going to avenge the villagers?" Mancang continued to ask.

"Report! Report to the Japanese in Mafang Village! This place is really no good..." Tiger continued to admit defeat.

"I'm afraid it's too late!" Mancang said, glancing back at the valley.

"Wha...what's going on?" Tiger asked, puzzled.

Where does this stream flow to?

"Hmm?...The Imperial Road River! This stream eventually flows into the Imperial Road River..."

Tiger's heart sank and he became even more worried. There were several villages living along the Yudao River, and those villagers were probably already poisoned!

"How's your crossbow handling? Can you hit the target from 700 meters away?" Mancang asked, ignoring his concerns.

"Huh?...What do you mean?..." Tiger was still puzzled.

"Just tell me, is it possible? Can you hit the target with a single arrow at a distance of 700 meters?" Man Cang continued to ask.

"No... I don't know, I've never tried it!..." Tiger was even more confused. They were talking about the river, how did they suddenly get onto the crossbow?

"Then go back and try it as soon as possible, this is very important!" Mancang said solemnly.