Cicada Moving

Chapter 691 Tiger Mountain

 Two o'clock in the morning.

The bright moon hung high in the sky, shining bright moonlight on the village. The visibility was very good, and he could clearly see more than ten meters away. This made Gao Bin feel relieved.

The Japanese named Okamoto Shigenobu is in the house. They are outside the house. If they cannot see clearly what is happening in the distance, it is easy for the target to sneak away or miss some important clues.

 The Secret Service Department didn't discover anything when it targeted the other party. It was just that all new people who settled in Harbin had to go through these investigation procedures, even the Japanese were no exception.

It is no secret that there are non-nationals in Japan who oppose the Tokyo government and the locusts. For example, Katayama Akira, the founder of the Japanese underground party who passed away two years ago, is one of them.

 So screening is a necessary means,

 It was also chartered by the Kwantung Army.

However, Okamoto Shigenobu behaved normally after arriving in Harbin, and the past experiences he confessed have been verified by the Shanghai Consulate's Special Higher Education Department, and it is basically certain that they were not fabricated.

Investigators also took photos of Okamoto’s original pharmacy and collected testimonies from multiple neighbors, proving that the other party had been doing business in Wucheng and had not made any sensitive remarks.

If he had no suspicious behavior when he went out of the city this time, then it would be enough for the Special Branch to keep a low profile on him. After all, there were too many Japanese coming to the Northeast and they could not pay attention to them one by one.

Besides, catching the Japanese is also a troublesome matter. The citizens of the country cannot beat or scold them, and they have to be handed over to the Kwantung Army. They can't get any credit.

 “Have a break in two shifts.”

Gao Bin yawned when he thought of this, whispered to his men and closed his eyes. In this case, Okamoto Shigenobu couldn't run away, so it was better to take the time to rest.

 Because after returning to the city, they have to continue to pursue the cases of destruction and disappearance. Although they have some clues now, they are still far from solving the case. They must be mentally prepared to wait for the opportunity.

 Ten minutes later, the moonlight became darker.

Two of the five agents who followed Gao Bin to Xiaoniujiaogou slept in their clothes, and the remaining three moved to different locations to monitor the target, not daring to slack off in their actions.

They lay motionless in a dark corner where the moonlight could not reach, holding flashlights in their hands ready to send out warning signals at any time, and placing their pistols within easy reach.

　　Even if the clothes on his body were wetted by the mountain water vapor, he didn't care. His bright eyes were full of determination and indifference. This kind of action quality can definitely be called an elite.

This is not surprising. The Secret Service officers have all received training from the Kanto State Police Department or intelligence agencies. It is very simple for them to remain vigilant at all times while on guard.

One of the agents pulled out a grass root and put it into his mouth to chew. The bitter taste was refreshing. Then he saw that a haystack on the edge of the village seemed to be moving.

 He ​​did not call others immediately, but looked again with wide eyes to avoid false alarms that would affect the mission. Gao Bin was not a good-tempered person, and anger would kill people.

After looking for a long time, no suspicious signs were found. After thinking about it, the person thought that either he had made a mistake, or it was a small animal that came down the mountain in search of winter food.

 In short, it will not be the goal.

The other party didn’t know his location, nor his observation range. The moonlight was so bright, and he would definitely be discovered if he came out. That Okamoto Shigenobu couldn’t be invisible.

Besides, there are a lot of random animals in the mountains. It is normal for one or two to sneak into the village occasionally. Compared to people, animals are naturally more alert, and some can also see at night. It is not surprising to find him.

At the same time, Zuo Zhong was lying in a squatting posture in a ditch next to the haystack. He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his head, which was so dangling that he was almost exposed to the moonlight.

He knew that there must be Japanese and puppet personnel watching him around. When they left the city, the black car followed them until they approached the village of Xiaoniujiaogou before turning onto another side road.

This place has no money. There are only two or three villages nearby, and the population is over a thousand. The roads are all made of dirt, and there are few motor vehicles in daily life.

Even though the number of cars in Harbin is not small in the entire Republic of China, the probability of two cars appearing in such a remote place at the same time can be said to be very small.

 It’s not such a coincidence,

 It can only be followed by spies.

However, this confirms one thing. The Japanese and puppets should not regard him as a suspect. The tracking is just a normal procedure, otherwise they would not use such a clumsy tracking method.

The trouble is that the location of the surveillance personnel cannot be determined. It will be very dangerous for him to leave the village. The only way is to use the shadows formed by the moonlight on the buildings to move little by little.

 Fortunately, when he checked the medicinal materials during the day, he was already familiar with the terrain of Xiaoniujiaogou Village. Combining the height and orientation of the moon, it was not too difficult to find an entry and exit passage.

 After resting for a while, Zuo Zhong crawled carefully along the ditch, for fear of disturbing the village dogs or small animals around him, which would be dangerous if he attracted the attention of the spies.

He climbed out for tens of meters, rolled into the woods when he was near the foot of the mountain, then stopped and observed for a few minutes, and then walked up after making sure that no one had discovered him.

 Going into the woods does not mean it is safe.

 The woods in the Northeast are different from those in the South. Most of them are coniferous forests, and the shielding effect is not as good as that of broad-leaved forests. You must constantly adjust your route while walking and try to rely on the trunks themselves for concealment. There were also Japanese soldiers on patrol. Zuo Zhong didn't know their patrol route, equipment, or personnel composition. He could only concentrate on observing the surroundings to avoid a head-on collision.

 After walking a hundred or two hundred meters, he suddenly squatted behind a big tree while walking, took out the Browning M1911 from the space, and looked warily at the path twenty or thirty meters away.

"Da da da"

A sound of footsteps came closer and closer, slowly approaching Zuo Zhong's hiding place. He could even hear the clang of bayonets and kettles. He was really unlucky enough to run into a patrol.

With the moonlight, he saw 15 Kwantung Army soldiers wearing shit-yellow uniforms through the gaps in the branches. They were marching in columns. This was not a standard Japanese army unit formation.

 According to Japanese infantry drill regulations, a detachment has 13 people, including the detachment leader, 4 machine gunners and 8 riflemen. Specially strengthened units will be equipped with grenade launchers.

The patrol in front of us is such a strengthened force. Everyone in the team carries two special grenades on their sides, as well as two grenadiers with the rank of corps commander.

Corps commanders are low-level non-commissioned officers in the Japanese army who have served for a long time. They are both soldiers and combat backbones. They are usually responsible for operating complex weapons such as grenade launchers.

Zuo Zhong slowly withdrew his gaze, cold sweat broke out on his forehead. If there was a firefight, it would be useless even if he had a Browning light machine gun, not to mention that he only had a Browning 1911.

 The gap between professional soldiers and non-professional soldiers may not be obvious at certain times, but it will be very obvious in such close combat, not to mention the two grenade launchers.

By then, even if the fragments from the grenade explosion can't hurt him, the fragments of the blown trees can kill him. The agent is not a superman, he will bleed and die just the same.

 “Woo woo~ woo woo~”

At this moment, in the front row of the Japanese patrol, a military dog ​​led by a rifleman stopped, raised its ears and whined in a certain direction, which was a warning.

The Kwantung Army is indeed one of the elites of the Japanese army. After confirming that there was a situation nearby, the patrol automatically divided into several combat groups to find bunkers without the squad leader's order.

In the long-term battle with the anti-Japanese personnel, these people knew very well that standing and waiting for orders meant waiting to die. The first thing to do when encountering the enemy was to protect themselves, not to fight back.

 No one spoke,

 Only the rustling of the trees in the breeze is left.

Behind a huge boulder, the military dog ​​bared its sharp teeth and was eager to try. It struggled with the rope and wanted to rush out. The soldier kept stroking its back to calm it down, which would reveal his position.

A few minutes later, the team leader did not find the enemy. He rolled his triangular eyes, then turned around and waved to the military dogs and soldiers, indicating to release the military dogs.

 In complex woods and mountains, the speed and flexibility of dogs can be brought into full play. Once the enemy is entangled, the only thing waiting for the opponent is death, and there will be no second result.

 “Woof woof ~ woof woof ~”

The soldier untied the rope as ordered, and the military dog ​​lost its restraints and ran out quickly. After a few dozen seconds, it let out a loud bark, and the Japanese squad leader showed a proud look on his face.

 He raised his right hand and made a few gestures. All the combat groups tacitly distanced themselves and surrounded the sound from the front and flanks, not giving potential enemies a chance to ambush.

 Japanese soldiers were walking or running, using trees, slopes, and rocks as cover. They moved quickly and quietly. You must know that this is just a non-Yezhange unit responsible for patrolling.

What will happen to those front-line troops who are specially responsible for combat? It makes people shudder to think about it. This is not to increase the ambition of others. It is better to face the gap than to be arrogant.

 It only took a minute for several combat groups to reach the planned attack position. The squad leader found that the military dogs were circling the ground and did not see even a shadow of the enemy.

"what happened?"

The squad leader frowned and was a little confused, and ordered a team leader to check the situation. The other party received the order and left the bunker at a low profile, and finally brought back an unknown object.

Strangely, the military dog ​​also came back. It seemed that the barking was not because it found people, but because it smelled this thing. Knowing this, the patrol lowered their vigilance.

But none of the Japanese soldiers knew what it was. Only the squad leader twitched his nose with his hand, then poked it with his hand. Then his face changed drastically and he shouted in horror.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　(tigger)!

This sound of a tiger frightened the patrol even more than an enemy attack. Everyone immediately raised their rifles and aimed in all directions. In the mountains and forests late at night, tigers were more terrifying than the anti-Japanese soldiers.

In a crusade two years ago, a small team encountered a tiger. It was also at night. When the support personnel heard the sound of gunfire and rushed over, they only saw the remains of corpses on the ground.

Thinking of this, the squad leader turned pale and ordered a retreat without hesitation, preparing to search the mountain again during the day. The abominable tiger must be caught, otherwise it would be too dangerous.

Just as the Japanese were fleeing in panic, Zuo Zhong squatted on the ground on the mountain top above them, took out the telescope in the space, and looked at a brightly lit base to the southwest.

 (End of this chapter)