The Mysterious Soldier of the Anti-Japanese War

Chapter 26 New Hope

Lei Tao and Ai Li hid in an abandoned warehouse, nervously listening to the movements of the Japanese army outside. The warehouse was filled with a stale atmosphere and the light was dim, with only a few weak rays of sunlight filtering through the cracks in the dilapidated windows.

Lei Tao vigilantly observed his surroundings, trying to find a safe escape route. His eyes were sharp, not missing any possible clues. Suddenly, his gaze fell on a pile of debris in the corner of the warehouse. There seemed to be something unusual there.

Lei Tao walked over carefully and gently pushed away the debris. Ai Li followed him nervously, her eyes constantly scanning the surroundings, fearing that the Japanese army would suddenly rush in.

"Be careful," Allie whispered.

"Yeah." Lei Tao responded and continued to clear the debris with concentration. As the debris was removed bit by bit, a hidden entrance gradually appeared.

"What is this?" Ellie asked in surprise.

Lei Tao carefully observed the entrance and found that it seemed to be a passage leading underground. "It might be a secret passage," he whispered.

Ellie's eyes lit up. "Maybe this is our chance to escape."

Lei Tao pondered for a moment and thought that the Japanese troops blocking the door must be diverted away, otherwise they would be in danger at any time. So he decided to create some illusions.

Lei Tao found a rope with a hook in the warehouse and climbed up to the roof beam. He carefully opened the skylight, tied one end of the rope to the hook on the beam, and lowered the other end to the ground. He then deliberately left some messy footprints on the ground, extending towards the skylight, making it look like they had escaped through the roof skylight.

After finishing all this, Lei Tao returned to Ellie and whispered, "Let's go into the secret passage."

Ellie nodded and followed Lei Tao into the secret passage. After entering the passage, Lei Tao found some things to disguise the entrance, trying not to leave any traces.

The passage was dark and eerily silent. Lei Tao pondered for a moment, then pulled out a powerful flashlight from his Bagua gyroscope. When the flashlight came on, Ellie's eyes widened in surprise.

"What...what is this magical thing?" Ellie asked stutteringly.

Lei Tao smiled slightly. "This is one of my secret weapons. With it, we can see more clearly in this dark passage."

They continued walking forward, and the passage seemed to have no end. Occasionally, there were some strange markings on the walls, and no one knew what they meant. Lei Tao tried to decipher these markings, but he had no idea.

"Could these marks be some kind of clue?" asked Ellie.

"It's possible, but we're not sure yet," Lei Tao said.

As they walked, they suddenly heard a faint sound of running water. The sound became clearer and clearer, and seemed to come from the depths of the passage.

"What's that sound?" Ellie asked nervously.

"It might be an underground river." Lei Tao guessed.

They followed the direction of the sound and found an underground river. The water was crystal clear and flowing slowly.

"How could there be an underground river here?" Ellie said in surprise.

"Maybe this passage was used by people in the past to escape or transport supplies." Lei Tao said.

They continued along the underground river, hoping to find an exit. In the process, they encountered some forks in the road and didn't know which one to choose.

"What should we do? Which way should we go?" asked Ellie.

Lei Tao carefully observed the situation at each fork in the road, trying to find some clues. "Let's see which road looks safer first."

They chose a fork in the road that looked drier and continued on. After walking for a while, they found that the passage became wider and wider, and some traces of artificial excavation appeared on the wall.

"It seems we are on the right track." Lei Tao said.

Just when they thought they were about to find the exit, they suddenly heard footsteps. The footsteps were getting closer and closer, and it was obvious that someone was walking towards them.

"Someone is coming!" Ellie said in horror.

Lei Tao immediately pulled Ai Li into a corner, turned off the flashlight, and waited quietly. The footsteps were getting closer and closer, and their hearts were in their throats.

Finally, a figure appeared in their sight. It was an old man in tattered clothes, holding an oil lamp in his hand, walking slowly.

The old man didn't seem to notice them and continued walking forward. Lei Tao and Ai Li looked at each other and decided to follow him. They quietly followed behind the old man, keeping a certain distance.

After walking for a while, the old man stopped in front of a stone door. He gently pushed the door open and walked in. Lei Tao and Ai Li hesitated for a moment and followed him in.

Behind the door was a spacious basement, where some daily necessities and food were placed. The old man was not surprised to see them come in, but just looked at them calmly.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" asked the old man.

Lei Tao and Ai Li briefly introduced their situation and explained how they entered the passage. The old man nodded after listening.

During the conversation, Lei Tao gradually realized that the old man's way of speaking had a special charm, which seemed familiar. It was the unique way of speaking of the underground party sent from Yan'an. Although the old man did not reveal his identity, Lei Tao had already guessed it in his heart.

Lei Tao found an excuse to get Ellie away, then approached the old man alone. "Uncle, from your behavior, I've already suspected something. I think you must have a special identity."

The old man was slightly startled, a hint of vigilance flashing in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. "Young man, what do you mean by that? I'm just an ordinary old man."

Lei Tao smiled and said, "Uncle, please don't hide it from me. I have roughly guessed your identity. I know that you are fighting behind enemy lines and are short of weapons and equipment. I just happened to have seized some of their weapons after eliminating some Japanese devils and traitors, and I gave them all to you. I hope you can hand this batch of arms to reliable anti-Japanese forces. After we leave, I will tell you the location of this batch of weapons and equipment, and you can take them yourself."

The old man was silent for a moment, his eyes filled with emotion. "Young man, I appreciate your kindness on behalf of everyone. But how can you be sure that I am the person you think I am?"

Lei Tao looked at the old man sincerely. "Uncle, from your words, I can feel your love for this land and your hatred for the invaders. This kind of emotion can only be felt by true anti-Japanese patriots. Moreover, the way you speak reminds me of those underground party comrades who silently dedicated themselves to the country and the nation."

The old man nodded slightly. "You are a smart young man. Since you have already guessed it, I will not hide it from you. I am indeed an underground party courier, responsible for delivering intelligence and supplies here. Your batch of weapons is very important to us."

Lei Tao was delighted. "Great, sir. I knew my judgment was correct. I hope this batch of weapons can make a small contribution to the anti-Japanese cause."

The old man held Lei Tao's hand tightly and said, "Young man, I admire your bravery and kindness. We will make good use of these weapons and make the Japanese devils pay the price."

The old man provided them with some food and water, and then told them about the tunnel. It turned out that the tunnel was dug by the former GCD underground party to avoid the pursuit of the Japanese army and transport supplies. The old man himself was also a veteran underground party member, and he had been guarding the tunnel.

Lei Tao and Ai Li were moved by the old man's story and decided to join him in contributing to the anti-Japanese cause. In this secret underground passage, they found new hope and courage.