The Mysterious Soldier of the Anti-Japanese War

Chapter 349: Chasing on the Secret Trail: From the Rope to the Mysterious Shack

After Lei Tao finished speaking to Liu Zishan, he turned to Li Shuiniu and beckoned him closer. Li Shuiniu, receiving the command, immediately crouched down and moved swiftly and silently to the two men. "Shuiniu, use your 'night vision' ability to help me see if there are any other hidden mechanisms in this trap," Lei Tao whispered.

Li Shuiniu narrowed his eyes and carefully observed the thin line and the surrounding ground. After a moment, he pointed under the thin line and whispered to Lei Tao, "Brother Lei, the soil here seems a little loose. Something might be buried there. There's also a line next to it."

Lei Tao followed Li Shuiniu's direction, his brows knitted into a frown, his expression growing increasingly serious. He knew the trap Kazuya Uesugi had set was far more complex than he'd imagined. A single misstep could put the entire team in dire straits. "Everyone, be careful! This trap might have more than one trigger." Upon hearing the command, the team members hooted in unison, mimicking the low hoots of an owl. The chorus of "cooing" echoed through the forest like a secret code, conveying a message of understanding.

At this moment, Lei Tao thought to himself: "Uesugi Kazuya is a very thoughtful guy. He set up a minefield here just to slow down our pursuit. If I defuse the mines or take a detour now, it will waste time. In this case, I will not let him get his wish!"

Lei Tao took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. His mind raced, pondering a strategy. He carefully surveyed his surroundings again, trying to find a way out. He glanced at the surrounding trees. There was one about thirty meters away. Behind the boulder nearby, there seemed to be a faint path, obscured by weeds.

Lei Tao lowered his voice and called the team members to his side: "Brothers, it's not a good idea to keep wasting time here. I see there seems to be a road next to the big tree over there. We can use ropes to slide over from the air. This can not only avoid traps, but also save time and catch up with Shangshan Kazuya as soon as possible. Does anyone have any objections?" Everyone responded: Yes, just climb over from the air, no objection.

"Okay, that's settled." Lei Tao quickly climbed up a big tree behind him, stood on the tree, and took out a rope catapult from the Bagua gyroscope space. He raised the rope catapult and aimed at the target tree more than 30 meters away.

Lei Tao took a deep breath and steadily pulled the trigger. With a whoosh, the arrow, attached to the rope, shot out like a streak of black lightning, streaking through the night sky and flying towards the target tree. The rope arced through the air, and the team members' hearts hung in the air with it.

Fortunately, the arrow accurately bypassed the trunk of the target tree. Lei Tao quickly tightened the rope, and after confirming that it was secure, he tied another section of the rope to the tree on this side. He whispered to Liu Zishan and others under the tree: "Alright! Li Shuiniu, you are experienced, you go first, pay attention to safety, and speak up immediately if anything is wrong."

Li Shuiniu nodded, stretched his wrists and ankles, and scrambled up the tree. He took off his leather belt and placed it on the rope, gripping the belt tightly with both hands, and pushed hard against the tree trunk, using the force to slide towards the opposite tree.

The rope swayed slightly under his pressure, making a subtle sound. Li Shuiniu stared straight ahead, adjusting his posture to maintain stability as the rope swayed. The moonlight shone on him, and sweat rolled down his forehead.

The team members held their breath, staring at Li Shuiniu. Liu Zishan gripped his gun tightly, Chen Feiyang leaned forward slightly, and Yi Guang glanced around.

Li Shuiniu successfully slid to the big tree opposite in a few seconds.

"I'm here, safe!" Li Shuiniu whispered. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, next up, Feiyang!" Lei Tao gave the order. Chen Feiyang took a deep breath and climbed up the tree, hanging onto the rope with a belt like the Lishui Buffalo. As he glided, he suddenly heard a slight noise from above, as if someone was hiding in the tree. Chen Feiyang's heart almost stopped beating because of the noise. When he finally reached the tree, his heart was still pounding. He looked up and saw the shadow of a monkey swaying among the branches. He breathed a sigh of relief and muttered to himself: "Good boy, it turned out to be you, naughty thing, you almost scared me to death."

He calmed himself down and gestured to his teammates under the tree, "It's okay, it's just a monkey." Seeing this, everyone under the tree relaxed their tense nerves. Liu Zishan smiled and shook his head, and Yi Guang's tense shoulders also relaxed.

"Keep moving forward, don't delay too long!" Lei Tao shouted in a low voice, with a bit of anxiety in his voice.

Chen Feiyang gathered his gear, slid down the tree trunk to the ground, and began to carefully examine the weed-covered path. He used the butt of his rifle to push aside the weeds and carefully explored the path, taking each step with extreme caution, fearing any hidden traps.

At this time, Li Shuiniu also came down from the tree opposite and walked to the side of the trail. With his excellent night vision, he helped Chen Feiyang to survey the trail. The two of them worked together tacitly, one exploring the way ahead and the other keeping watch.

Soon everyone slid over via the ropes. Liu Zishan was the last to safely reach the other side. After landing, he dusted himself off and whispered, "We're finally here. I hope nothing goes wrong next time."

Lei Tao nodded, his eyes scanning the surroundings. "Everyone, be careful. We don't know where this trail leads. Shang Shanhe must not have gotten far." The group fanned out, continuing along the trail. Moonlight filtered through the dense foliage, casting patches of dappled light and shadow. The team members' figures moved between them, their hearts tense, vigilantly observing everything around them.

As they were walking, Li Shuiniu suddenly stopped, squatted down, sniffed, and whispered to Lei Tao: "Brother Lei, there is a stench of human feces nearby."

Lei Tao frowned, his eyes instantly sharpening. He raised his hand to signal everyone to stop, and asked in a low voice, "Buffalo, can you determine the approximate direction and distance?"

Li Shuiniu stood up, took a few deep breaths, and slowly turned his body. Using his exceptionally keen sense of smell, he tried to pinpoint the source of the scent. After a moment, he raised his hand and pointed to a patch of bushes to the right of the trail. He whispered, "It should be over there. Not too far away, probably a few dozen meters."

Lei Tao nodded slightly, turned to look at the others, and whispered, "Everyone, approach carefully and be ready to fight at any time. Feiyang and Yi Guang, you go around from the two sides, and Shuiniu, Zishan and I will slowly advance from the front. Be careful to hide."

Everyone nodded and followed Lei Tao's instructions. Chen Feiyang and Yi Guang were nimble, crouching low, using the surrounding trees and bushes for cover as they silently moved to the right. Lei Tao, Li Shuiniu, and Liu Zishan, rifles drawn, slowly approached the bushes.

Their footsteps were almost silent, their eyes fixed fixed on the road ahead, not missing a single movement. Moonlight filtered through the branches, casting patches of light and dark on the ground, their figures looming in the shimmering light. With each step closer, their hearts beat faster, as if they could hear their own heartbeats echoing in the silent forest.

When they were still about ten meters away from the bushes, Lei Tao and the others heard a slight noise coming from inside, as if someone was moving. They immediately stopped, tensed, and put their fingers on the trigger, ready to shoot at any time.

Suddenly, a hare jumped out from the bushes, startling everyone and almost shooting. The hare hopped away, and everyone relaxed a little, but their vigilance remained unchanged.

Lei Tao gestured, signaling them to continue forward. When they finally approached the bushes, they found a simple shelter made of branches and leaves. Outside the shelter, there was a smoldering bonfire charcoal, which had just been extinguished. Not far away, there was some fresh excrement on the ground.

Lei Tao and Li Shuiniu exchanged a glance, then cautiously approached the shack. Lei Tao stood on the left side of the shack's entrance, while Li Shuiniu stood on the right. Lei Tao took a deep breath, then suddenly reached out and pulled back the covering at the entrance. At the same time, the two men quickly pointed their guns at the interior of the shack, but found no one inside.