Chapter 3, Wrath of Heaven (Part 1)

On the high ground outside the village, this is the tent constructed by Lieutenant Takahashi.

Professor! Professor! Fu Beixue was closely following behind, watching helplessly as Quan Qianzhang disappeared into the crowd

But I am ... ...

Quan Qianzhang was stunned for a full ten seconds before coming to his senses: "This is ... ... "

The soldier immediately lowered his gun, and Takahashi Jiro added, "This is the expert invited by the Empire"

Standing silently to one side, Fu Beixue considered his own life to be far more important than justice.

Takahashi Jiro said: "Teacher, this should be the soldier who was swept away by the mudslide during the flash flood on the eve of the event."

The Japanese soldier aimed his gun at Quan Qianzhang's chest, simultaneously pulling the bolt to chamber a round. At that moment, Takahashi Jiro arrived and commanded, "Lower your weapon"

Unaware of this, Takahashi Jiro slightly raised his eyes to observe the mountain peak across from him. At that moment, the cries from the mountain grew louder, as if the mountain deity was standing before the crowd, venting its anger.

Takahashi Jiro handed over a dagger, and Quan Qianzhang took the dagger, gently tapping the surface of the corpse, discovering that it was covered with a hard shell, resembling ceramic.

By the way, there are other discoveries as well, Takahashi Jiro recalled something

How is the disaster situation?" Quan Qianzhang thought of the most important matter, "What about the village and the villagers?

Qian Qianzhang pondered: "Could it be that there were others on the mountain the night before?"

The heavy rain continued to batter until dawn. When the rain finally ceased, the dark clouds dispersed, and the sun reappeared above everyone’s heads, Quan Qianzhang finally released his grip on the pine tree in front of him, sat down on the ground, and his vision began to blur.

Qian Qianzhang approached cautiously and asked, "But why has it turned out this way?"

The torrential rain suddenly ceased, yet the strange cries emanating from the mountains had not yet abated

Quan Qianzhang approached the solidified mudslide, crouched down, and observed closely: "How could this happen?"

Having learned from previous lessons, Takahashi Jiro knew that the person hiding on the opposite hill was certainly using the momentary light produced by the flash of lightning to locate his assassination target. However, all attention was focused on Takahashi Jiro and the group of Japanese soldiers on the opposite hill, and he did not notice the pair of eyes lurking in the damp bushes behind them

Takahashi Jiro shook his head: "Although bentonite is an important raw material for ceramics, it cannot be shaped without high-temperature baking; merely the temperature of sunlight is insufficient."

Pay attention, Professor.

Quan Qianzhang nodded slightly, rushed out of the tent, and followed the flow of villagers running towards the village entrance

The mountain flood surged like a black dragon before the eyes of the crowd, directly rushing towards Zhengjia Village below. Soon, more than half of Zhengjia Village was submerged by the mountain flood and mudslide, while heavy rain began to pour down again at that moment, although the lightning and thunder had ceased.

Quan Qianzhang rubbed his forehead, striving to bring himself to clarity: "I am asking you, where are we?"

Quan Qianzhang pried out a piece of solidified mudflow with a dagger: "It has a certain hardness, and feels like cement that has not completely dried."

Fu Beixue explained while putting shoes on Quan Qianzhang: "Professor, you have been unconscious for a day now"

Professor? The consciousness-dazed Quan Qianzhang heard the voice of Fu Beixue. Although he wanted to say something, he ultimately fainted.

Fu Beixue, who was concerned about Quan Qianzhang, did not realize that his complexion was several times worse than that of Quan Qianzhang, his face devoid of any color, as the corpse of Xiaocun Minzhi lay less than one meter away from the two of them on the muddy ground

The soldier bowed his head in apology to Quan Qianzhang, who ignored him and simply asked Takahashi Jiro: "Why did you shoot?"

The Japanese soldier made no sound and died while maintaining a prone position, after which the gun barrel turned and, amidst the thunder, slowly dragged the body into the bushes

After Qian Zhang followed Takahashi Jiro around a residential building, he encountered another astonishing scene—amidst the frozen mudslide lay the bodies of Japanese soldiers, each in various postures, their surfaces snow-white, resembling statues.

"Where am I?" Qian Qianzhang asked, struggling to get up.

Fu Beixue shook his head: "The village has basically been destroyed by the mudslide, but the villagers are mostly unharmed. However, we have made a significant discovery"

The residents of Zhengjia Village at the foot of the mountain have mostly evacuated, with only the village chief, who is beating a gong to warn others, still running around the village, calling out from door to door

Takahashi Jiro circled to the back of the corpse: "A sharp weapon has pierced the back of his head"

"Why are you shooting?" The angry Quan Qianzhang stood up to accuse the Japanese soldier

The cries of the Japanese soldiers were swallowed by the darkness half a second later

Takahashi Jiro said two words: "Buddha statue"

Qian Qianzhang asked eagerly, "What major discovery?"

When Quan Qianzhang followed Takahashi Jiro into the village, Fu Beixue also immediately followed, but was stopped by Takahashi Jiro who said: "Mr. Fu, you stay here"

Suddenly, another flash of lightning streaked across the sky, instantly illuminating the surroundings. Takahashi Jiro immediately shouted, "Do not expose yourselves!"

When Quan Qianzhang was pushed to the ground by that Japanese soldier, he saw the body of a villager through the gap between the soldier's feet

The sound of the gong mingled with the thunder, blending with the strange calls from the mountains, causing Takahashi Jiro, who was aiming his gun at the opposite mountain, to feel increasingly irritated

At the moment the cold water poured into the back of his neck, Quan Qianzhang involuntarily shivered. Fu Beixue, who trembled slightly all over, looked at the pale-faced Quan Qianzhang and asked, "Are you alright?"

The entrance of the village is already crowded with the surviving villagers of Zhengjia Village, all eyes are fixed ahead, whispering to one another.

The owner of the eyes and the books is none other than Chu Lekang, who at this moment is observing the Japanese soldiers outside the bushes with the gaze of a hunter, calculating their numbers and pinpointing their ambush positions

Qian Qianzhang stepped forward and asked, "What is going on? What has happened?"

Takahashi Jiro said in a low voice: "Teacher, please follow me"

Qian Zhang questioned, "What method was used to commit the murder?"

However, a long spearhead slowly emerged from the bushes, aimed at the back of a Japanese man's head. In that moment of proximity, it suddenly exerted force, piercing directly through from the back of his head to his mouth.

Do not move! Do not move!" Takahashi Jiro shouted again. He knew that when the thunder sounded, it was also the moment when the opponent would pull the trigger to assassinate him. However, he never expected that at the same time the thunder roared, there were no sparks emitted from the gun muzzles on the opposite hill.

The mountain god... Takahashi Jiro widened his eyes, "The mountain god is angry"

As the lightning struck again, Takahashi Jiro clearly saw a black current surging from behind Mount Feisi. At the moment this black current reached Mount Feisi, it instantly split into five streams, akin to cavalry charging at high speed dividing into five paths.

Speaking, Quan Qianzhang simply reached out to touch it and sniffed: "It should be lime with impurities, combined with white clay, which is essentially bentonite, and after being exposed to sunlight, it has taken on this appearance"

It seems that the anger of the mountain deity has gradually diminished, leaving only his helpless tears

Takahashi Jiro said: "It should be, and it can be concluded that at that time, that person was lurking around us; it was just that in such a harsh environment, we were completely unaware. However, what I am most curious about now is, why did the mudslide solidify? And how could the surface of the soldiers' bodies be like ceramic?"

When the thunder ceased and the lightning struck again, Takahashi Jiro felt the soil of the cliff in front of him shifting. He immediately rolled and crawled backward to escape. When he looked back, the spot where he had been lying was already engulfed by the mountain flood, and the several Japanese soldiers beside him had long since vanished.

The death of Toshiharu Shimomura, although he will not bear direct responsibility, he will certainly face direct punishment from the military. More importantly, in the face of that elusive gunman, will they be able to leave here safely tonight

After Qian Qianzhang parted the crowd, he saw a large number of Japanese soldiers standing in a human wall with guns, blocking the villagers' advance

Quan Qianzhang rushed out of the tent immediately. Due to his haste and the fact that his body had not yet fully recovered, he nearly fell. Fu Beixue quickly stepped forward to support him.

After Qian Qianzhang followed Takahashi Jiro into the village, he turned a corner past a residential building and witnessed a remarkable scene—mudslides cascading down from the mountain had submerged more than half of the village. Most of the houses in the village were destroyed, and the remaining sturdier residences had only their roofs exposed. Strangely, the mudslides that had rushed down had solidified.

The Japanese soldier in front did not answer Quan Qianzhang's question, but instead rudely pushed him aside.

Quan Qianzhang and Fu Beixue embraced the tree, closed their eyes, and remained silent, praying in their hearts that the mountain flood would not spread further to the sides; otherwise, they would truly be doomed.

The continuous sound of thunder follows immediately after the lightning

When Qian Zhang woke up, he found himself in a tent set up by the Japanese army. At the moment he opened his eyes, he saw Fu Beixue, who was beaming with joy.

"Hold on tight! A mountain flood is coming!" Quan Qianzhang shouted instinctively upon hearing the sound, as he was all too aware of what would happen next, and all they needed at that moment was luck

The shaking of the mountain, the thunder in the sky, and the fear within caused everyone to momentarily blank out. Immediately after, a violent wind mixed with the earthy stench of the mountain swept in, and a tremendous force directly swept several Japanese soldiers into it, carrying them down the mountain.

Takahashi Jiro explained beside him: "After my investigation, I found that these soldiers did not die from the mudslide, but were murdered by someone"

Quan Qianzhang remained silent, and then he looked around: "After the mountain flood, the soil should contain various animal carcasses, along with the mixed vegetation, which under the scorching sunlight should emit a strong putrid odor. Yet here, there is a pungent sour smell filling the air"

After speaking, Takahashi Jiro led Quan Qianzhang away, while Fu Beixue, who was blocked outside the human wall, could only watch helplessly. At that moment, he finally understood that in the eyes of the Japanese, he was not even as important as a single hair of Quan Qianzhang.

Hold on tight! Quan Qianzhang clung desperately to the tree, while the others either held onto trees or lay flat on the ground, gripping the plants beneath them as if they were clutching the last straw of hope

Takahashi Jiro frowned and said, "Your level is insufficient"

Standing by the tree, Quan Qianzhang and Fu Beixue, upon hearing the mountain roar, noticed that the mountain was shaking violently. The trees nearby swayed in response to the tremors of the mountain, and the accumulated rain on the trees fell in droves, resembling a localized downpour.

When Quan Qianzhang reached out to touch, he was stopped by Takahashi Jiro: "Teacher, be careful, use this."

At this critical moment, Chu Lekang, hidden in the bushes, did not cease his actions. He removed the tip of his long spear and began to carry out close-range assassinations of the panicked Japanese soldiers from behind.

Quan Qianzhang raised his eyes to look at him: "What discovery?"

The sharp cries from the mountain soon transformed into a rumbling sound, at which point it became clear that a force was advancing towards them, continuously producing the sound of destruction as it collided with everything in its path

On one side, Takahashi Jiro said: "Professor, please take a look at this."

Fu Beixue immediately helped Qian Qianzhang to sit up from the camp bed, then squatted down to put on his shoes

As the two were speaking, they suddenly heard gunshots from outside the tent. Before they could react, they heard countless hurried footsteps and the shouts of villagers