Chapter 42: Action

Because the enemy had increased the number of military police in this area, the civilians dared not leave their homes. During the day, there were few people on Yongning Street, and after dark, the place was utterly deserted.

At seven in the evening, Li Wensheng led Shi Xiaozhen and the others out, moving swiftly along the shadowed paths. By half past seven, under Shi Xiaozhen’s guidance, the group arrived at a grassy patch by the riverside. Once they stopped, Shi Xiaozhen walked toward a nearby thicket and called out, “Old Ox!”

Old Ox immediately followed.

After walking a few more paces, Shi Xiaozhen crouched down and retrieved a box from a pile of dry grass, while Old Ox took out another box. “Captain, the explosives are right here,” Shi Xiaozhen said as she returned and set the box down.

Li Wensheng opened the box for a quick inspection, then stood and said, “Now we wait.”

The six of them remained on the grass, waiting. Time passed slowly. At exactly eight o’clock, the sharp sound of gunfire echoed from the distance on the right.

When the gunfire ceased, Li Wensheng glanced at his watch—eight fifteen. “Let’s go!”

The six of them hurried to the riverbank. Shi Xiaozhen led Old Ox and the Gun Fanatic down to the water, where they pushed a small wooden boat out from a patch of reeds.

Li Wensheng boarded first, guiding the others to follow. As Old Ox and the Gun Fanatic grabbed the oars, Li Wensheng whispered, “Row slowly.”

Both nodded and began rowing at a leisurely pace.

After a while, more gunshots rang out from the right ahead. Li Wensheng checked his watch—nine o’clock.

Within seconds, the shooting stopped.

Li Wensheng said nothing, and the boat continued to drift forward at a slow pace.

A little later, as they rounded a small bend, the warehouse came into view—just then, a thunderous explosion erupted from the direction of the train station!

Li Wensheng instantly raised his wrist for another look—exactly nine twenty-five. He ordered, “Faster!”

Old Ox and the Gun Fanatic began to row with wild vigor, and the boat sped up several times over.

When they were only seven or eight hundred meters from the warehouse, Li Wensheng checked his watch again—it was nine thirty-five. He immediately stood, shrugged off his coat, and took his watch, giving instructions as he did so:

“Old Ox, bring your dagger. Come with me and swim over. Section Chief Shi, you take the rest and row forward more slowly. Wait for our signal, then speed up.”

“Yes, Captain,” Shi Xiaozhen replied. As she spoke, Old Ox handed the oar to the Scholar and began to remove his coat.

Once ready, Li Wensheng and Old Ox both slipped into the river with two soft splashes.

The moment he entered the water, Li Wensheng quickly outdistanced Old Ox, darting forward like a water dragon.

In less than five minutes, Li Wensheng reached the edge of the warehouse. The warehouse was not right on the riverbank—there were still about two hundred meters between them.

Twelve military police stood with their backs to the warehouse wall, guarding the entrance. The enemy feared someone might come up from the river, so they had stationed men on watch.

Li Wensheng surfaced for a quick look, then immediately ducked back down and swam left. A few meters away on the left was a small patch of reeds. Only when he emerged among the reeds did he feel safe enough to observe.

After several minutes, Old Ox surfaced beside him, panting. “Captain!”

“In a moment, we’ll crawl ashore—make no noise. I’ll go left, you go right. Use that small stone in the middle as our line—when you reach it, stop. I’ll act first to draw their attention,” Li Wensheng said, pointing to the five military police on the right. “Deal with them before they can call out. Understood?”

Old Ox parted the reeds, following Li Wensheng’s line of sight. The five soldiers were close together, almost shoulder to shoulder. He weighed the odds, then replied softly, “No problem, Captain.”

“Good. Go!” Li Wensheng whispered, quietly parting the reeds and inching forward.

Once out of the reeds and on shore, Li Wensheng immediately flattened himself against the ground, crawling left, while Old Ox moved right.

Thick vegetation lined the riverbank; even though the grass was dry, it was enough to conceal their movements. They crawled with extreme caution. Aside from the slight rustling of grass, there was no sound.

The night wind rustled the grass, masking the slight movements. With the earlier attacks and the train station explosion, the enemy believed Li Wensheng’s group had changed targets and were less alert—they noticed nothing amiss.

A few minutes later, Li Wensheng reached his position and stopped. Now only a dozen meters separated him from the military police—practically beneath their noses. He dared not turn his head to check on Old Ox and could only wait.

After a few moments, Li Wensheng took a deep breath, drew a dagger from his waist, and in a flash, sprang up, lunging at the two nearest enemies.

They were yawning distractedly, and his sudden appearance stunned them into immobility.

In the faint moonlight, the blade flashed twice—two thin lines of blood appeared on their throats.

Immediately, Li Wensheng leaped forward like a monkey, covering three meters in a blink. The blade flashed again, and two more fell.

By now, the remaining soldiers had reacted. The five on the right were raising their guns when Old Ox sprang up, swift as a gust of wind. As they turned toward him, he was already among them.

With a swift motion, his dagger slashed one man’s throat. At the same time, he kicked another to the ground.

Then, with a reverse grip, he plunged the dagger into a third man’s heart. Spinning around, he dispatched two more with lightning speed, then stomped on the chest of the one he’d earlier kicked down, who was trying to shout.

With a forceful flick, he drove the dagger into the man’s heart.

The whole sequence was smooth and seamless—within a few breaths, Old Ox had dispatched all five.

He immediately looked to Li Wensheng’s side. Li Wensheng had already sheathed his blade; all seven enemies were dead, each with a single cut to the throat.

Old Ox was astounded. He had known Li Wensheng was skilled since the assassination of Cha Yoshiryo, but hadn’t realized he was this formidable.

Old Ox had been born into a family of martial artists and had trained from childhood. Even the instructors at their training camp couldn’t withstand three moves from him. Yet Li Wensheng had killed seven scattered enemies in the blink of an eye, each with a single stroke to the throat—skills he could not hope to match.

“Go, signal Section Chief Shi,” Li Wensheng ordered.

Old Ox quickly suppressed his amazement and replied, “Yes, Captain.” He hurried to the riverbank and waved to the approaching boat.

Seeing the signal, the boat immediately sped up.

Moments later, the boat arrived, and Shi Xiaozhen and the others disembarked, carrying explosives and supplies.

Li Wensheng took his coat, gun, and watch from Bai Yan, and as he put them on, he said quietly, “Bai Yan, Scholar, you come with me. Gun Fanatic, Old Ox, Section Chief Shi, open the vent. When you hear gunfire, enter through the vent and coordinate from inside.”

“Yes,” Shi Xiaozhen replied softly.

Once ready, Li Wensheng led Bai Yan and Scholar along the right side, hugging the warehouse wall.

The vent was around back, so Shi Xiaozhen’s group stayed put.

Gun Fanatic stepped onto Old Ox’s shoulders and knocked lightly on the ventilator. After a brief inspection, he frowned, peered inside, and whispered, “Chief, we can’t dismantle it from outside. But the guns and ammo aren’t near the vent—we can use explosives.”

Shi Xiaozhen thought for a few seconds, then opened the box, handed him a bundle of explosives, and cautioned, “Measure the amount carefully. Don’t overdo it, or you’ll blow up the munitions inside.”

“Chief, you know I’m not just a good shot. Back at the training camp, I ranked among the top in demolitions. Trust me, I know what I’m doing,” Gun Fanatic replied with a grin.