Courtyard House: Initial Donation of 50 Million

When Wang Huanbo and his group arrived at the designated meeting point near Yijiang Gate in a disheveled state, Father John was already there anxiously waiting in his Ford truck, which had just been repaired and was still emitting black smoke. Yu Mo, Chen Qiaozhi, and all the female students, dancers, and the wounded (including the unconscious Pu Sheng and the stable Shunzi) were already there.

"Get in the car!" Wang Huanbo shouted.

The crowd scrambled onto the truck bed, packed like sardines in a can. Wang Huanbo jumped into the passenger seat and shouted to John, "Father, get out!"

John gritted his teeth, floored the accelerator, and the dilapidated truck roared as it charged toward Yijiang Gate! The Japanese guards at the gate had obviously received notice of the chaos in the city, but they hadn't quite grasped the situation yet. When they saw a truck rushing toward them, they instinctively tried to stop it.

"Rat-a-tat-tat!" The soldiers in the carriage opened fire on the sentry post with captured Type 96 machine guns! The Japanese troops were immediately suppressed.

The truck crashed through the makeshift roadblock and sped out of Nanjing! A cold river wind swept over them, and everyone felt as if they had been transported to another world.

But they were not safe. The Japanese quickly reacted, sending motorcycles and trucks in pursuit! Bullets whizzed past the vehicles.

"Hold on tight!" John frantically steered the car, jolting it along the bumpy riverside road. Wang Huanbo, meanwhile, fired pinpoint shots at the pursuers with his pistol and rifle.

At the critical moment, Wang Huanbo remembered the smoke grenades in his system space! He immediately took out several, detonated them, and threw them behind the car. The dense smoke immediately blocked the pursuers' vision.

Under the cover of smoke, the trucks finally managed to shake off their pursuers temporarily. But they dared not stop and began their desperate escape along the Yangtze River, heading upstream towards Wuhan.

The journey ahead was fraught with unimaginable hardship. The trucks were old and prone to breakdowns, and fuel was scarce. They had to stop frequently for repairs, risking discovery by the Japanese and their puppet troops to steal fuel and find food. They endured wind and rain, sleeping outdoors, and were constantly tormented by disease, hunger, and exhaustion.

In this process, the bonds between people deepened amidst the hardships. Doukou took meticulous care of the comatose Pusheng, feeding him water and wiping his body daily, whispering in his ear, hoping he would wake up. Although Pusheng was in a coma, his vitality was tenacious. Under the care of Wang Huanbo (secretly using medicine from the system space) and Doukou, his injuries gradually stabilized, and once, his fingers even twitched slightly, bringing Doukou to tears of joy. Yumo cared for everyone like an older sister, coordinating the team. Mr. Meng did his best, using his remaining connections and knowledge to help the team overcome difficulties. The female students also matured rapidly, no longer afraid, and proactively took on logistical work.

Wang Huanbo became the absolute backbone of the team. With his exceptional abilities, calm judgment, and the supplies that the system replenished from time to time (he could always find food or medicine by "accident"), he led this battered team to turn danger into safety time and time again.

More than ten days later, when the dilapidated but still standing city wall of Wuhan finally appeared on the horizon, the train carriage erupted in deafening cheers and cries! They did it! They really fought their way out of that hell!

The vehicle was stopped at a refugee checkpoint outside Wuhan. The guards were stunned when they saw the group of people—ragged, emaciated, yet armed, with eyes as sharp as wolves.

Wang Huanbo revealed his identity (still using the identity of Li Maocai for the time being) and explained the process of breaking out of Nanjing (details of the poison gas bombs were omitted). The news was reported up the chain of command, causing a sensation! An entire unit, leading so many students and civilians, successfully broke out of occupied Nanjing—it was nothing short of a miracle!

They were quickly settled in a temporary refugee camp and received basic examinations and treatment. Pu Sheng was transferred to a field hospital for further treatment. Dou Kou insisted on going with him to take care of him and was allowed to.

Once everyone had settled down, Wang Huanbo stood alone at the edge of the refugee camp, gazing in the direction of Wuhan, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He had finally led these people to accomplish what seemed like an impossible task.

Just then, the familiar yet cold system notification sounded clearly in my mind:

[Ding! Detection indicates the host has successfully led the main storyline characters to a relatively safe area (Wuhan).]

[Mission 1: Rescue Doukou and Xianglan. (Completed)]

[Mission Two: Rescue Pusheng and ensure his survival until evacuation. (Completed)]

[Mission 3: Rescue Mr. Meng. (Completed)]

[Mission Four: Rescue the dancer who impersonated the female student (Yu Mo and all others). (Completed)]

[Mission Five: Rescue George Chen. (Completed)]

[Mission Six: Lead the remaining Nationalist Army training corps soldiers, female students, dancers, and others to evacuate Nanjing. (Completed)]

All main quests have been completed! Quest completion is being evaluated...

[Evaluation complete! Overall task completion: S grade!]

[Congratulations, host, on successfully surviving and completing the rescue mission in the "The Flowers of War" dimension!]

[The mission rewards will be calculated and distributed after the host returns to the main plane.]

[The host may choose to return to the main plane immediately (the courtyard house in 1954), or return after 24 hours of free time. Please select...]

Hearing this series of prompts, especially the highest "S-level" rating, Wang Huanbo let out a long, long sigh, as if exhaling all the heaviness, repression, sadness, and anger of the past few months. He looked up at the gray sky, and with difficulty, he managed a relieved smile.

Success... This purgatory journey is finally over.

He silently chose to "return in 24 hours". He needed a little more time to say a simple goodbye to his comrades who had shared life and death with him, and to see with his own eyes that Pu Sheng could survive and to see Dou Kou's relieved smile.

He knew that in another time and space, the world of the courtyard house was still waiting for him. And here, in this tragic history, he left his mark, saving some lives that should have perished. This, perhaps, is the meaning of time travel.

(The storyline of the Thirteen Beauties of Jinling, now complete)