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

"This...right! They started fighting in their sleep, and they twisted each other's necks and died!...Do you think it's appropriate to say it like this?" Skinny Monkey was a clever man. He didn't dare to tell the truth about the matter, so he rolled his eyes and came up with a plan and said it.

"Huh?...Do you think this is appropriate?..." Zhao Mancang was speechless. Who would believe such a fabricated reason!

"Well... I don't know what happened!... I woke up and I was dead!..."

"Haha, alright! I'll leave this to you. Go ahead and do whatever you want! Understand?" This time, Zhao Mancang really couldn't hold back. And it turns out that pretending not to know was a brilliant idea!

With the bad guys dead, all that was left were their own people. Zhao Mancang took out some steamed buns and shared them between the two of them. Everyone started eating. And it has to be said, after killing the two bandits, this group of people clearly respected him even more! With this push and pull, even the puppet army's Da Zhao was a little trembling, and Toujing Bailing was the first to fawn over him.

"Good riddance! That damned bandit tried to extort money from Master Cang? He must be tired of living! Do you think just anyone can get a steamed bun here? Trying to blackmail people, he deserved to die!"

"That's right! Bandits are no good! They've done all sorts of bad things, bullying men and women, extorting money, and so on! They deserved to die!"

"Damn it!"

"Yes, they tried to sabotage our important plans! Serves them right!"

"A good death!"

……

After Da Zhao's reminder, everyone snapped out of their fear and cheered for Master Cang! They realized that this young man, capable of procuring large white steamed buns and ruthlessly killing bandits, was truly a capable individual! Following him might actually lead to an escape!

Half a steamed bun was quickly finished. I had originally planned to gather everyone for a chat to learn about each other's specialties, but after the incident with the bandits, I lost that mood. With a wave of my hand, everyone went back to their bunks to continue sleeping.

As soon as Zhao Mancang lay down, a wave of fear washed over him. He'd only ever seen broken necks in videos and on TV, and he'd heard stories of doctors accidentally breaking patients' necks while treating stiff necks. Tonight, he'd acted on impulse, and unexpectedly, it actually worked! It even seemed to have a deterrent effect!

But I'm really scared! If he doesn't kill someone with that blow, he's finished. With just a shout like that, those few steamed buns won't escape the Japanese devils' peanuts!

I couldn't sleep until dawn. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the menacing faces of two bandits. It was terrifying!

"Ah?... Someone's dead!..." Just as everyone was still half asleep, Skinny Monkey's scream startled the entire mining area! This time it wasn't a breathy sound, but a desperate shout!

"Huh?..." Everyone in the room was startled and quickly put on their clothes, looking at Skinny Monkey with unfriendly expressions! Before they could even take any action, five Japanese soldiers barged in, cursing and pointing guns at them, looking incredibly frightening!

"Baka! What are you yelling about so early in the morning? What dead people are you talking about?" a Japanese soldier asked as he stepped forward.

“It was the third… the third leader and Longhair… who died after waking up…” Skinny Monkey said, pointing to the two corpses in the corner.

"Baka! ...If you're dead, you're dead. Stop yelling! Do you understand?" The Japanese soldiers didn't care about the lives of these laborers at all. They would just take a look to confirm that they were dead and that was it. They had no intention of pursuing the matter.

"I...I understand!..." the skinny monkey continued, trembling.

"You four, hurry up and carry the body away, quick!" The Japanese soldier gestured with his hand, pointing out four men and ordering them to carry the body.

Zhao Mancang, Third Master, Tiger, and Skinny Monkey dawdled as they carried the corpses out of the thatched hut, following the two Japanese soldiers. A group of laborers gathered outside whispered amongst themselves upon seeing the two bodies being carried out.

"Two more have died! What a tragedy!"

"They were two bandits! I wonder how they died!"

"They were worked to death! Even the strongest person wouldn't last more than half a year in this godforsaken place!"

"People die every day! Who knows when it might be our turn!"

"Just keep going! When will this ever end?!"

"God, have mercy! Why don't you strike these beasts dead with a bolt of lightning!"

"Stop howling! Let's think about how to get through this!"

"Those bandits deserve to die! But it's too good for them to die here!"

……

"Baka! Get to work now! Anyone who's idling will be killed!" The Japanese soldier, seeing this, stepped forward with his gun raised and said menacingly. The Japanese soldiers around him also raised their guns and glared fiercely at the laborers!

The laborers, naturally, wouldn't dare fight the Japanese. They slunk out of the fence, grabbed their tools, and went back to work. This wasn't the first time this had happened; any further resistance would only result in a whipping or even a bullet! Everything seemed so futile!

Zhao Mancang and his three companions carried the two corpses out of the mining area, followed by two Japanese soldiers who cautiously approached a rocky outcrop not far behind the mine. Even before getting close, they were hit by a strong, pungent stench that nearly made the four men vomit up the steamed buns they had eaten the night before!

Looking up, a chill ran down my spine. A rocky area, slightly larger than a basketball court, was littered with corpses! Ragged clothes wrapped their decaying, stinking bodies. Even before summer, swarms of flies buzzed around them as soon as they approached! Most were mutilated, missing limbs, intestines ruptured, bones bare and bloodless—a chilling sight that made my legs tremble, as if I had stepped into the gates of hell!

The four of them exchanged a glance and couldn't help but tremble. Their hair stood on end, their eyes widened like saucers, and their legs went weak, unable to take another step...

"Baka! Throw it over! Hurry up!" The two Japanese soldiers weren't much better off; their faces were pale and their voices were trembling, but since this wasn't the first time they'd seen this, they gripped their guns tightly and urged him on.

"Hurry up! Throw it over!" Another Japanese soldier, seeing the four men standing still, slammed his rifle into Tiger's shoulder, his words becoming even more ruthless!

"Throw it...throw it away!..." Zhao Mancang said, trembling as he suppressed his nausea.

"..." The other three exchanged glances, struggled to move over, and forcefully threw the body to the edge before turning and leaving.

"Wow~~~"

They hadn't taken two steps before they all collapsed to the ground, supporting themselves on their knees with their hands and vomiting!

The two Japanese soldiers couldn't hold back either, and they also lay down on the side, retching incessantly!

"Baka! Get back to work! Hurry up!" The Japanese soldier had stronger willpower; he gagged a few times, straightened up, and urged the four men to go back.

After gagging for a while, feeling a bit better, the group, their legs still weak, walked back. The distance wasn't far, and they quickly returned to the mining area. Under the supervision of the Japanese soldiers, they began another day of work. Because they were too slow, each of the four men was whipped!

I spent the whole day in fear. The thought of the scene on the rocky hill sent chills down my spine. It seems that what the cook said about the workers' riot before the New Year was not unfounded!