Chapter 695: A Bumper Harvest

Night fell.

Another quiet day had passed.

It seemed like nothing had been done. It was all trivial matters. Not worth mentioning.

Eat.

Prepare to pack up.

Hangzhou City had also calmed down.

There was no longer any gunfire.

I guess it's over. Those who need to flee have already done so. Or they're in hiding.

The train station is sealed off. The docks are sealed off. Ordinary people can't leave. But the people around Sun Dingyuan are not ordinary people. They must have a way out.

The key is that these people have money.

In this era, money can really do a lot.

What? The station won't let you in?

How about two silver dollars? No? Those two silver dollars...

Someone will let you in.

After all, there are only a few people who can refuse to accept money.

And there may not even be any.

Hangzhou has no city walls. You can leave the city on foot from almost anywhere.

And if you have money, you can find some form of transport.

There is also another way: hide somewhere in the city. Change your identity.

Is that difficult?

If you don't have any connections, it is of course difficult.

But if you are willing to pay 100 taels of silver for a new identity, it really isn't that difficult.

You just need to find some middleman who can help you.

He can even get you a fake property deed. Unless you go to the police and check the records, you won't be able to tell if it's genuine or not.

These days, the property register is not very thorough. It's very easy to forge a document.

So even a search is useless.

Even a city-wide search will have loopholes. As long as you have the money.

For a small fortune, someone will help you cover up. They won't even check. But the report says it has been checked.

Unless you're a fairy. Otherwise, there's no way to tell.

I'm tired.

Let's find a place to rest.

Let's worry about tomorrow when it comes.

As a result, Ai Ye came forward and said to him, 'Team Leader Zhang, I have a favour to ask.'

'What is it?' Zhang Yong turned his head and looked at her.

She was indeed a beauty.

She had an even more charming air than Liao Panxi.

Unfortunately, Zhang Yong was now completely lustless. He now only wanted to make money. He felt like he had missed out on a lot.

Ding Furong's three million taels of silver, missed.

If he missed Sun Dingyuan's, he guessed he wouldn't be able to sleep at night.

He had previously pondered so many plans, but none of them had been put to use. Everything had gone awry.

Plans were no match for changes.

Who knew there would be so many unexpected events. Even Boss Dai had been implicated.

'I'm in danger now. Please protect my safety.'

'Don't you have a gun at home?'

'How do you know I have a gun at home?'

'I know the Zhouyi.'

'What?'

'I can calculate.'

'Really?'

Ai Ye was doubtful.

She looked at Zhang Yong suspiciously. Then she shook her head.

No matter how you looked at Zhang Yong, he didn't look like someone who knew the I Ching. Most likely he was lying.

She was no stupid woman.

She knew that Zhang Yong found her pretty. But that was about it.

Pretty didn't pay the bills.

Zhang Yong certainly didn't lack pretty women around him.

This guy, he's got some special skills. Otherwise, he wouldn't have killed Sun Dingyuan so easily.

'Yes. I do have a gun. But I'm not very good with it.'

'Miss Ai, I'm not a bodyguard.'

'I know. Where will you be staying at night? I'll be staying near you. That'll be enough.'

'You wish. I'll be going out on missions at any time at night. I might get up in the middle of the night and leave. Are you going to follow me?'

'It's hard work, but it's better than dying.'

'Oh? Who wants to harm you?'

'I don't know. But I do know that Hangzhou is not a safe place for a while. Especially for a woman living alone like me. It's even more dangerous.'

'Miss Ai, are you attracted to me? Or are you trying to help Liao Panshi investigate me?'

'You're thinking too much. It's not that complicated.'

'Really?'

Zhang Yong didn't believe it.

Could there be such a good thing? A beautiful woman coming to him of her own accord?

Forget it!

He didn't believe that a pie would fall from the sky.

It would be more like a discus. The kind that can kill someone. It would smash them to a pulp.

If he took the initiative, that would be different.

'A fox has three dens. Do you understand?' Zhang Yong said coldly.

'If Team Leader Zhang doesn't mind, I'd be willing to provide a place for you to stay tonight.' Ai Ye stuck to him.

'Where is it?'

'The Huaqiao Hotel.'

'Isn't that Jiang Guohu's property?'

'Yes. But he doesn't want it anymore. It's been sold. Now it's run by our Liao family.'

'You...'

Zhang Yong was speechless.

He had thought she was shrewd. But he never imagined...

This is digging a pit for the Liao family!

What are you doing taking over the Huaqiao Hotel? It's over.

By the end of next year, the Japanese will have occupied Hangzhou. What are you going to do about the Huaqiao Hotel then?

Give it up? That would be a big loss.

Keep it? Then you'll have to kowtow to the Japanese. Working for the Japanese

That would make you a traitor.

'Zhang Yong, what's that look on your face?'

'Miss Ai, have you ever thought about what would happen if the Japanese occupied Hangzhou...'

'What?'

'I said if. What would you do then?'

'Impossible,'

Ai Ye replied firmly.

Clearly, he felt that Zhang Yong was talking nonsense. Alarmist talk.

The Japanese occupying Hangzhou? How could that be?

The Japanese don't have that kind of power.

Zhang Yong didn't go into detail.

If he did, once the news got out, it would be considered heresy and would shake the army's morale.

If the military leader found out, he would probably be arrested and executed.

To be honest, at this time, apart from Zhang Yong, absolutely no one else could have imagined that Hangzhou would fall by the end of next year.

No one else could have imagined it.

Even those knowledgeable people who firmly believed that there would eventually be a war between China and Japan.

They firmly believed that there would eventually be a war between China and Japan. But they definitely did not expect that the beginning would be so miserable. That the defeat would come so quickly.

In less than a year, the entire southeast coast had basically fallen.

Just as he was about to speak, there was a prompt on the map. Three more weapons symbols were approaching. They also had gold symbols.

He was sure that these were three more bandits.

He perked up.

He was no longer sleepy.

As long as there was income, he was full of motivation.

'What's wrong with you?' Aye-ye observed the situation and saw what was going on.

'None of your business,' Zhang Yong replied.

'Bandits?'

'Yes.'

'I'll go and have a look.'

'If you're not afraid to die, come with me!'

Zhang Yong didn't bother to dissuade the other woman. Everyone was responsible for their own lives.

If she liked to watch, then she could watch.

Hehe. In case she met her untimely death...

He waved his hand.

He led the group off.

The three bandits gathered together, keeping a close distance between them.

However, they are all very vigilant. All the corners and corners are first passed by one person. Only when it is confirmed that there is no abnormality will the others follow.

Zhang Yong looks around. Enter a residential building. Go up to the roof.

There is a small door on the roof. It is locked. He hammered it open with a hammer.

Ai Ye curiously followed behind.

She really is not afraid of death!

Zhang Yong also ignored her. He walked to the edge of the roof, squatted down, raised the binoculars, and observed carefully.

Because of his elevated position, he was able to see all three robbers for a short time. But he didn't recognise them. He noticed that all three robbers were carrying a dáziáo on their backs. It was different from the others. What is a dáziáo? It can be understood as a long, rectangular pocket. It can hold quite a lot of things.

In the absence of a professional rucksack, the daiya is also commonly used by the military. It can hold food and ammunition. Then slung diagonally across the body, it will not affect tactical movements. Indeed, it is a must-have tool for travelling and killing people...

So, here's the question –

what treasures will be inside the daiya of these three bandits?

The map shows that they all have the gold symbol on them. If the pockets are full of gold bars, that would be awesome...

'Can I take a look?'

'Sure.'

Zhang Yong gives her a pair of binoculars.

New ones. A gift from the system. Weapons are out of the question. But binoculars are fine.

Ai Ye holds the binoculars up and observes for a moment, her eyes glowing quietly as she says crisply, 'They're carrying gold. About 30 catties each.'

'How do you know?' Zhang Yong is puzzled.

I also knew there was gold. But you can even deduce the weight?

Are you the legendary goddess detective?

Nonsense...

'I know a lot about gold.'

'And?'

'The dungarees are so small, and space is precious, so they can't be used to carry large amounts of gold. A few tens of catties of gold is not worth risking their lives for. So it has to be gold.'

'Then why 30 catties?'

'This is what I've concluded from experience. Carrying a load of about 30 catties won't affect your body's flexibility. But if it's more than 30 catties, you won't be as agile.'

'What do you usually do?'

'Think about how to make money.'

'Huh...'

Zhang Yong thought to himself, this is the right kind of nonsense.

Who doesn't think about making money?

But believe her deduction. Thirty catties of gold, hehe. Three people, that's 90 catties.

Finally, hard work pays off. Finally, three big fish are caught.

Anyway, Sun Dingyuan only had US$3,000 on him. I wonder who is more valuable compared to 30 catties of gold?

Immediately arrange an ambush.

Just in time, there is an open space ahead. Overgrown with weeds.

The three bandits all quietly entered the weeds one after the other. They thought no one would find them.

As a result...

'Da da da...'

'Da da da...'

A burst of gunfire.

More than ten Thompsons opened fire on the grass.

More than ten 100-round magazines were emptied. The grass was in a mess.

The three bandits hiding behind the grass were killed instantly.

After making sure that the three white spots had disappeared, Zhang Yongcai ordered the shooting to stop.

There were two more boxes of bullets in the ammunition compartment. Both were 11.43 mm in calibre.

It seems that the energy was replenished a bit too quickly this time?

Go up quickly. Professionally examine the corpse.

He picks up one of the sacks and notices that it has been pierced by a bullet. The gold bars inside are revealed.

The bullets have also caused the gold bars to become dented and cracked. Some of them have even been pierced. But it doesn't matter. Gold is still gold. Even if it is broken.

After a moment of rummaging, he is sure that the sack is indeed full of gold bars. He weighs it in his hands and it is indeed about 30 catties.

He quickly swallows it.

He slashed open the other bags and swallowed all the gold bars.

So many gold bars completely filled his space, leaving no more room for anything else.

He felt so good.

It was as if he had been pumped full of adrenaline.

The previous frustration was finally completely swept away.

What a great harvest! Haha!

Then...

Ai Ye came up from behind.

Zhang Yong deliberately threw the empty bag at her, 'You were wrong.'

'No way,' Ai Ye said incredulously.

'So you think I ate everything in there?' Zhang Yong shrugged and made light of the situation.

'How could that be...' Ai Ye suddenly doubted her life.

She looked around doubtfully.

Then she looked at Zhang Yong again.

Her mind was going blank.

There was no reason for that!

Even if it wasn't gold bars, there were other things in there.

Zhang Yong couldn't have hidden everything from the three daggers on his person. No one could.

So, where did the contents of the bag go?

The more she thought about it, the more she felt that something was wrong.

Suddenly, she covered her head and squatted down.

There was no way around it, her brain was overworking and it was burning up the CPU.

'Lao Bai!'

'Yang Zhi!'

Zhang Yong waved his hand behind him. Tell them to come up and identify the person.

However, Lao Bai and Yang Zhi looked at each other carefully and didn't know who the other person was. They didn't know them either.

'They are the three brothers of the Liang family from Tuolong Mountain,' said Ai Ye.

'You know them?' Zhang Yong was surprised.

This woman seemed a bit mysterious. She knew a lot.

In martial arts novels, those women who travelled alone were often very scary.

Could this Ai Ye be one of them? She actually recognised these three people?

That's fine. We need to continue to undermine her.

We need to make her gradually believe in what we say. Believe that Hangzhou will fall by the end of next year.

In short, we need to make her blindly follow us.

She seems very confident. Once her confidence collapses...

Heh heh.

That doesn't sound too bad.

'He Jiu!'

'Present!'

'Search the grass.'

'Yes.'

He Jiu replied. He led the men to search the grass.

Soon, they found two ammunition boxes from inside the grass. Hurriedly, they carried them out.

'Team leader, look.'

'Open it!'

Zhang Yong knew full well.

These were all small benefits sent by the system.

Forget about firearms and the like. You can only get a few rounds of ammunition as a meagre supplement.

Two ammunition boxes, 1,500 rounds of ammunition. All 11.43 mm.

What can you do with that?

Just capture some Japanese spies.

In the future, you can fight behind enemy lines without worrying about running out of ammunition.

Perhaps, this is the greatest assistance the system can provide.

Don't think about anything else.

Seeing Ai Ye's confused expression, Zhang Yong decided to continue to attack her.

'I did the calculations.'

'What calculations?'

'I used the I Ching!'

'I don't believe you. Recite the I Ching for me.'

'Hey, I'm telling you, you're all so superficial. What's the point of rote learning? You have to learn to apply what you learn. You have to look beyond the surface to the essence...'

'You've never even read the I Ching.'

'But I understand the calculations!'

'You...'

Ai Ye was about to speak, but then stopped.

She wanted to say that the other person was wrong. But she had no proof.

On the contrary, the other person had repeatedly used evidence to prove that she was wrong. So...

'Zhao Si!'

'Here!'

'Let's go!'

Zhang Yong continued to advance with his men.

But there was an empty house nearby. There were weapons emblems inside.

I don't know whose house it is. Let's search it first.

'Where are you going?'

'I have calculated that there is another Feng Shui treasure spot.'

'You're lying!'

Ai Ye was not someone who would easily believe in such things.

What Feng Shui treasure land. I don't believe you.

When they arrived at the destination, they found it was a two-storey residential building.

Ai Ye: ?

You call this a Feng Shui treasure land?

She looked at Zhang Yong doubtfully.

Zhang Yong decided to continue to undermine her, so he said lightly, 'I deduced that there are weapons and ammunition hidden inside.'

'Deduce?' Ai Ye was doubtful. But she didn't dare to completely deny it.

What if there really were?

Zhang Yong felt mysterious, more so than a charlatan.

'Search!'

Zhang Yong waved his hand.

A group of people entered and searched carefully.

Soon, a large quantity of weapons were found in the lower level below the wooden staircase.

By a large quantity...

I mean more than ten rifles and more than ten pistols. There was also a considerable amount of ammunition.

Ai Ye was stunned.

No way? Really?

This Zhang Yong, really was able to deduce it?

He has never even read the I Ching. But he can deduce it?

He turns his head.

He quietly observes Zhang Yong.

He notices that Zhang Yong is frowning.

This...

There are quite a lot of weapons and ammunition.

It doesn't look like they were placed there by the robbers at the last minute. It looks like they were prepared in advance.

There must be something going on behind this.

He turns his head and looks at Yang Zhi, 'Help me find out whose house this is.'