Spy game? Stop guessing, I really am an undercover agent!

Chapter 140 The Red Party in Action

The transportation department wasn't particularly large, but it wasn't small either. However, the fact that a section chief had been reprimanded by the department head was already common knowledge within ten minutes of Matsushima Jun leaving the department head's office.
As the head of the Third Section, Chen Yang naturally wouldn't personally inquire about such gossip.

But if he doesn't go, Li Ningyu will. As a qualified secretary, she naturally needs to be in the know about such matters firsthand.

Chen Yang was not surprised after hearing the gossip Li Ningyu told him.

Just as he had planned, sabotaging the railway only caused minor damage, not serious harm.
It delays the efficiency of the first lesson, but does not affect the transportation of the third lesson.

However, a mere reprimand is far from enough to cause disappointment with the first lesson.

Currently, most of the material transportation is still maintained by the First Lesson.

Therefore, at this time, we need to give the other party more responsibility.

Chen Yang leaned back in his chair, his eyes slightly closed, his fingers lightly tapping the table, as if he were silently calculating something.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes and muttered to himself, "Judging by the time, the guerrillas should be making their move tonight."

Kuitong Wharf, Jiujiang Port, Jiangxi Province.
The turbid waves of the Yangtze River rolled and pounded against the makeshift wooden piers and pontoons under the inky night sky.

An unsettling atmosphere of anxiety permeated the air, an atmosphere of impending great battle.

The dock area was brightly lit, with a few dim searchlights weakly scanning the river and the junction of the water and the shore. The beams of light pierced the darkness before the rain, making the huge shadows cast by the surrounding reeds and abandoned barges even more apparent.

Kuitong Wharf is just a small wharf next to Jiujiang Port, and there are not many goods piled up there normally.

Today, the supplies piled up like small mountains, and the number of laborers at the dock is more than ten times that of usual. A dense crowd of people, amidst the shouts and curses of the foremen, are working hard to unload the supplies.
The Ministry of Transport ordered that all goods at the docks must be shipped out by midnight the day after tomorrow and delivered to the front lines within three days.
Dredging vessels upstream of Jiujiang are working day and night to clear the waterway as early as tomorrow afternoon, ensuring the smooth passage of transport ships.

Everything is proceeding as planned by the Department of Transportation.
A hundred meters from the dock, in a patch of reeds that smelled of decaying seaweed, guerrilla leader Tian Zheng and his chosen action team lay motionless like lurking crocodiles.

Sweat dripped down Tian Zheng's sharply defined jawline, but he paid it no mind. His binoculars were pressed against his brow bone, his gaze like a cold, sharp blade, repeatedly slicing through the layout of the dock.
Piles of wooden crates, supplies covered with tarpaulins, several Japanese guards lounging behind sandbag bunkers smoking, and a transport barge moored beside the pontoon, its draft deep and clearly loaded with heavy cargo.

"Captain," Shui Sheng said in a low voice, his voice filled with excitement and tension, "I saw it clearly, that pile on the far west side, covered with a green tarpaulin, and there are gasoline drums next to it! Blow it up, it'll set the whole area on fire!"

Tian Zheng didn't speak, but nodded slightly, and focused his telescope on a small, inconspicuous open-air storage yard surrounded by sand near the barge.

There were several laborers in tattered undershirts, numbly carrying smaller wooden crates under the watchful eyes of Japanese soldiers with bayonets. "See those small crates?"

Tian Zheng's voice was deep and clear, like sandpaper rubbing, "Lao Gen, you have the best eyesight, can you recognize the words on it?"

Old Gen squinted, trying hard to make out the details: "...There's a red cross...and...it looks like...quinine? Yes! Quinine! The box next to it is sulfonamide!"

A glint of light flashed in Tian Zheng's eyes, the medicine
In the enemy's rear, where medical supplies were scarce, this was more precious than gold.

"Destroying the supplies is the primary objective, but... we must get our hands on the medicine."

"Shuisheng, you take two men and head to the western oil and supply depot. Use explosive charge number one with a delayed fuse, three minutes. The explosion is the signal!"

"Understood!" Shui Sheng's eyes burned with fire as he quickly checked the explosive pack in his arms.

"Stone, take your machine gun and seize that wrecked ship over there," Tian Zheng pointed to a half-sunken old ship wreck on the side of the dock. "Once the explosion occurs, suppress any possible reinforcements, especially those coming from the barracks. Fire two long bursts and then move on. Don't linger!"

"Yes!" Stone, clutching his prized Czech-style jacket, slid silently to his designated spot like a raccoon.

"Xiaomei, you and I, along with the rest of you, head for the pile of medicine next to the barge. Be quick, the enemy will be thrown into chaos after the explosion. We only have less than a minute's window. Take as much as you can, and burn what you can't carry!"

"Yes!" Xiaomei and the other team members responded in low voices, tightening the ropes and sacks around their bodies.

Tian Zheng glanced one last time at the worn-out old watch on his wrist: "Time's set! In two minutes, the aquatic team will begin their infiltration. Move out!"

“Understood,” Shui Sheng said, leading two team members like water droplets blending into the night, skimming the ground and using the shadows of the cargo piles to quickly and stealthily approach the target to the west.

Suddenly, a sudden change occurred!
Just as Tian Zheng and the others were about to move toward the pile of medicines, a hunched figure emerged from behind it. Judging from his tattered clothes and sweaty appearance, he must have been a laborer carrying the medicines!

He seemed to need to relieve himself and was walking towards the reeds, almost bumping into the hiding place of Tian Zheng and the others!

The team members tensed instantly, their fingers gripping the triggers.

Tian Zheng's eyes sharpened, and he moved with lightning speed, pressing down the gun the instant Xiao Mei raised it.

He pounced like a black lightning bolt, and before the laborer could scream, a large, iron-like hand covered his mouth, while the other hand pressed him firmly to the muddy ground. "Don't make a sound! We're fighting the Japanese!" Tian Zheng's voice was deep and extremely authoritative, staring directly into the laborer's terrified eyes.

The laborer trembled violently. In the dim light, he could make out the blurry mark on Tian Zheng's armband. The fear in his eyes was instantly replaced by disbelief and ecstasy. He nodded frantically.

"Brother, what's your surname? What's that over there?" Tian Zheng loosened his grip slightly, but his hand still didn't leave his mouth.

"Chen... call me Old Chen..." the coolie gasped, his voice barely a whisper. "Those... those little boxes are medicine! The Japanese just unloaded them, they treasure them. And next to them... next to them are a few boxes of their biscuit tins..."

The voice just fell
"Boom!!!"

A deafening roar tore through the night sky, and a huge fireball, filled with flames and thick smoke, suddenly rose from the west!

A towering flame instantly illuminated half of the dock as if it were daytime! The piled-up supplies and fuel were detonated, crackling and popping, burning debris scattering like meteors. The entire dock was like a pot of boiling water, instantly erupting into chaos.
The piercing siren of the air ripped through the sky, mingled with terrified shouts in Japanese, chaotic footsteps, and the barking of dogs awakened from their slumber.

The searchlights were swinging wildly.

"Hit him!" Tian Zheng roared, releasing Old Chen and waving his hand sharply.
"Rat-a-tat-tat! Rat-a-tat-tat!" From the wrecked ship where Shi Tou was hiding, the Czech-made machine gun spat out angry tongues of fire. Precise long bursts of fire instantly took down two Japanese guards who had just peeked out from behind cover and were trying to run towards the explosion point. The bullets hit the sandbags and wooden boxes, and wood chips flew everywhere.

Chaos is the best cover!

"Go!" Tian Zheng leaped up like a cheetah, with Xiao Mei and the other team members following closely behind, rushing towards the pile of medicines like arrows released from a bow.

Old Chen hesitated for a moment, then a resolute glint flashed in his eyes. He gritted his teeth and followed, growling, "Follow me! I know which box is light and easy to carry!"

The shockwave and immense chaos from the explosion left the Japanese soldiers guarding the medicine pile completely disoriented.

Tian Zheng took the lead, firing two precise shots with his Mauser pistol at close range, taking down two Japanese guards who were trying to raise their guns. Xiao Mei and her team pounced on the pile of precious medicine boxes like tigers descending a mountain.

"Quick! Pick the small ones! The ones with the Red Cross!" Tian Zheng ordered quickly while keeping watch around. He swiftly picked up a wooden box marked "Quinine" himself.

Old Chen played a crucial role; familiar with the boxes, he quickly pointed out: "This! Sulfonamide!...This! First aid kit!"

The team members stuffed the boxes into the sacks they had brought and carried them on their shoulders without hesitation.

"Captain, hurry! The Japanese soldiers have broken out of the barracks!" shouted the guard.

In the distance, towards the barracks, a group of Japanese soldiers were pouring out in a chaotic manner.

"Shuisheng! Retreat!" Tian Zheng roared towards the firelight to the west, then turned to the pile of medicines. "Enough! Retreat! Lao Gen, set it on fire!"

Lao Gen quickly stuffed the prepared oil-soaked rags into the gaps between several medicine boxes that hadn't been moved in time, and lit them with a match. The flames shot up instantly.

"Old Chen, come with us." Tian Zheng grabbed the laborer who was still stuffing cans of food into his arms.

"No, Captain!" Old Chen suddenly broke free, a strangely calm smile on his face, pointing to the burning pile of medicine and the chaotic dock, "I'll hold them off for you. You guys get out of here, there are still people like me on the other side of the river who want to fight the Japanese!"

After saying that, he bent down, picked up a Japanese rifle, and fired a shot haphazardly at the Japanese soldiers rushing out from the direction of the barracks. Then he turned and ran in another direction, shouting as he ran, "The Eighth Route Army is here! The Eighth Route Army is here!"

The shouts instantly attracted the attention of some Japanese soldiers and drew their bullets.

Tian Zheng's heart trembled violently, and his eyes welled up with tears, but he knew that hesitation at this moment would mean certain death! He stomped his foot angrily: "Retreat! Follow the original route! Quickly!"

Carrying heavy medical kits, the team members, under the cover of Shi Tou's machine gun, plunged into the shadows of the smoke-filled, flame-scorched dock and rushed toward the reed marshes where they were to retreat.

Behind him came the angry roars of the Japanese soldiers, the chaotic gunfire, and Old Chen's shouts, which were gradually drowned out by the gunfire.

"Rat-a-tat-tat..." Stone's machine gun fired another burst, taking down the closest Japanese soldier. He then picked up the hot gun barrel, nimbly rolled away, and disappeared behind the pile of goods, chasing after the group.

As the last team member disappeared into the depths of the dense, wall-like reeds, Tian Zheng turned back for one last look.

The entire dock was engulfed in flames, illuminating the murky river and the gloomy night sky. The echoes of the explosions still reverberated across the river, making the Japanese soldiers' furious shouts and indiscriminate firing seem futile.

He touched the heavy medicine box on his shoulder and recalled Old Chen's smiling face, which was covered in mud but had bright eyes.

This surprise attack destroyed the enemy's valuable supplies, slowed their advance to the front lines, and seized life-sustaining medicine. The price was that an unknown laborer sacrificed his life to carve a path to survival for them.

"Go!" Tian Zheng's voice was hoarse but firm as he led his team members swiftly into the boundless darkness and the sorghum stalks.
(End of this chapter)