Chapter 4: Chapter 4 - Return to Base
Chapter 4 - Return to Base
In the first encounter with corpses, Zhou Lin acquired 1,132 Francs and 371 Yen. The second time yielded 5,500 Francs and 1,100 Yen. Altogether, he had 6,632 Francs and 1,471 Yen. Zhou Lin adjusted his plan, intending to send 300 Francs to each family.
In the current Republic era, a captain's monthly salary was only 20 Francs. The living expenses for a Shanghai family were around 5 Francs per month. Zhou Lin sighed, feeling a bit relieved.
Suddenly, he heard footsteps and tightly gripped his Type 38 rifle, loading a round. The footsteps disappeared, perhaps reacting to the sound of Zhou Lin loading his gun.
Silence followed, broken after five minutes by distant bird calls. "Cuckoo! Cuckoo!" Zhou Lin relaxed; it wasn't the time for a cuckoo bird. Its call meant the arrival of the squad leader.
While the 20th Squad's signal was the magpie's call, Zhou Lin imitated the cuckoo's sound. Hearing Zhou Lin, a voice from the other side exclaimed, "The 20th Squad is still here! It's the 20th Squad!"
A group rushed over, led by Zhou Lin's squad leader. "20th Squad, I'm here to take you home," he shouted.
Zhou Lin stood up and reported, "Reporting to the squad leader, the 20th Squad has 26 members present. We request you to return to base."
Seeing Zhou Lin alone, the squad leader's expression sank. He grabbed Zhou Lin's hand, asking, "Where's your captain? Where are the others?"
Zhou Lin pointed to the collapsed house, saying, "They're tired, resting inside."
The squad leader turned and saw 25 fallen soldiers in the house. Tears streamed down his face. He removed his cap, bowing three times to the fallen. Others followed suit.
Wiping away tears, the squad leader shouted, "Brothers of the 20th Squad, I've come to take you home!"
Twenty-seven people came forward, each carrying a fallen soldier. The squad leader also carried one, the squad captain. Zhou Lin, unable to get a person to carry, joined three others in carrying the squad's weapons.
After over two hours, they returned to the death squad's camp. Informed in advance, there were queues outside the camp. As Zhou Lin passed each soldier, they saluted.
Back at the 20th Squad's base, there were two barracks, each sleeping thirteen there; the only one entering was Zhou Lin. Sitting on a bunk, tears flowed again.
At that moment, the squad leader and the overall leader arrived. The leader asked, "Zhou Lin, what are your plans? Want to transfer to headquarters? We need a messenger."
Knowing they didn't need more personnel at headquarters, Zhou Lin firmly said, "Sir, I request you to stay here. As long as I'm here, the 20th Squad is here."
The leader praised, "Good! Zhou Lin, accept the order!"
Zhou Lin stood at attention, "Zhou Lin accepts the order! Please give instructions!"
"Appoint Zhou Lin as the 20th Squad leader of the Intelligence Corps Death Squad. Rank promotion to Sergeant."
"Yes!"
Zhou Lin saluted, receiving a shotgun from the leader, symbolizing his role as the squad leader. Hesitating, he wondered whether to tell the leader about the incident.
The leader, noticing Zhou Lin's hesitation, told the squad leader, "Prepare a meal; I want to welcome Zhou Lin."
"Yes!"
After the squad leader left, the leader patted Zhou Lin's shoulder, saying, "The director personally handed you over to me. Seeing you safe, I'm relieved. If you have something to say, say it; no one is here."
Zhou Lin handed a pack of Japanese Chrysanthemum cigarettes to the leader.
Taking a cigarette and lighting it, the leader asked, "This cigarette is light, like what women smoke. Huh! How do you have this?"
Zhou Lin also lit his cigarette, saying, "Sir, it has been confiscated from the Japanese."
"You killed Japanese soldiers?"
"I did. I killed three, one of them a Japanese spy. He went on a mission, got lost, and ended up in our squad. I was smoking this cigarette at that time, and he smelled it, so he approached."
The leader looked at Zhou Lin, "You're not injured, right?"
"No. He mistook me for an ally."
"Ally?"
"Yes! These people had separate rooms and hadn't seen each other. They only knew that thirteen infiltrated the Chinese lines this time. When he got lost and saw me, I immediately knew he was a Japanese spy."
"Why?"
"He failed in Chinese."
The leader realized Chinese was difficult; without years of study, it was hard to speak well.
Zhou Lin continued, "Later, we communicated in Japanese, and I confirmed he was a spy."
"Wait, you can speak Japanese?"
Zhou Lin took a drag, "What's so surprising? I'm a top student at Nanjing University."
The leader realized that Zhou Lin, being a university student, could speak foreign languages.
"What did you talk about?"
"He asked about the mission area. I lied, saying it was our base. I asked about his mission, and he said it was in Zhaxi. He complained that Zhaxi had a strong Chinese counterintelligence, worrying about getting caught."
"Then what?"
"I extracted information about his contact and woken up a sleeper. He refused to share more. In the end, when he lowered his head, I knocked him out. Afterward, I questioned him and got some information. However, I used too much force, and the Japanese spy didn't survive."
The leader said, "If he's dead, he's dead! Wait, you made a mistake."
"What happened?"
"You tortured him; he has marks on his body, and he died there. If the Japanese receive his body and recognize him, they'll know something's wrong and reveal the truth. No, I have to destroy that corpse."
Zhou Lin smiled, "Don't worry, sir. I've handled the body. I threw the Japanese spy into a deep pit created by a Japanese shell. I filled the pit with rubble. The Japanese won't find it."
The leader looked at Zhou Lin, "What's your plan?"
"Sir, I want to take on this mission. Impersonate and meet the lurking Japanese spy."
"No, it's too dangerous!"
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