Courtyard House: Starting in 1938, kill enemies and loot equipment.

In the late autumn of 1940, the city walls of Beiping still stood majestically, but were shrouded in a heavy gloom. Since its fall on July 29, 1937, this ancient city had been groaning under the iron heel of the Japanese army for three years. In the autumn of 1940, the invaders' rule not only did not loosen, but became even more severe—heavy troops were stationed in the city, and the strongholds of the military police and the puppet police station were spread throughout the streets and alleys. The patrolling Japanese and puppet troops were armed with guns and carried out a tight and oppressive surveillance of the citizens. The puppet regime they supported became an accomplice, helping the Japanese army to plunder resources and suppress resistance. The entire city was like a caged beast trapped in an iron net, so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

The flames of resistance against Japan outside the city never died out. The anti-Japanese base areas in Pingxi, Pingbei, and Jidong gradually grew stronger, becoming an important link in the anti-Japanese war behind enemy lines in North China. In the autumn of 1940, although the Japanese army launched a large-scale "mopping-up" operation against these base areas, they suffered heavy losses due to the tenacious guerrilla warfare of the Eighth Route Army and the local people, and failed to shake the foundation of the base areas. Inside Beiping, sporadic resistance never ceased. Just recently, in November, two Japanese officers were shot by unidentified assailants at Donghuangchenggen, one dead and one wounded, triggering a city-wide martial law and a massive search by the Japanese army. Although they failed to find the perpetrators, it was enough to prove that the indomitable spirit of resistance still flowed in the blood of this ancient city.

Zhou Ye's path of resistance against Japan is embedded in the intertwined flames of war. After the fall of Beiping in 1937, he traveled from the future to 1938 at the age of 15. At that time, the war was raging and his family was separated. With the farm and skills given to him by the system, he struggled to survive with his 5-year-old sister, Zhou Xiaocao. Now he is a 17-year-old young man with a tall and straight figure. The naivety of his first arrival has faded from his eyes, leaving only the fortitude and composure tempered by the flames of war.

In the past two years, the anti-Japanese forces formed by Zhou Ye and Zhao Hu did not rush to attack the city. Instead, they took root in the suburbs, echoing the Pingxi Anti-Japanese Base Area and carrying out guerrilla warfare from mountain strongholds. They frequently attacked the Japanese army's supply lines, destroyed small strongholds in the suburbs, and used some of the captured food and ammunition to replenish their own supplies and send the rest to the Pingxi Base Area to support the Eighth Route Army. Gradually, they became the "most troublesome suburban nail" in the eyes of the Japanese army. Zhou Ye's strength also improved rapidly in each actual battle: he mastered advanced combat skills with ease, and the "Advanced Stealth" and "Explosives Mastery" skills he successively acquired made him even more formidable in night raids and ambushes; the system farm continued to upgrade under the nourishment of the continuously invested energy value - the fields expanded three times, and in addition to staple food and vegetables, he also planted medicinal herbs such as licorice and bupleurum, which could be used for emergency treatment and also exchanged for supplies with the base; the fish in the pond were fat and strong, and the pigsties and chicken coops on the shore were teeming with livestock and poultry, which could not only meet the team's meat needs, but also secretly help the poor people in the suburbs.

Seven-year-old Zhou Xiaocao, with two loose little braids, still retains a childlike innocence in her eyes, yet she is already accustomed to waiting alone on the farm. She grew up in this secret space known only to her brother and herself, tending to the crops and livestock daily as instructed by him. Her little hands clumsily scatter feed for the chicks and gather grass for the piglets. Though she occasionally sheds tears secretly because she misses her brother, she never utters a single complaint. She is Zhou Ye's strongest pillar of support—every time Zhou Ye returns from the battlefield, covered in gunpowder and exhausted, as soon as he steps onto the farm, seeing the lush green crops, the chirping chicks, and the warm embrace of his sister, all his tension and resentment instantly dissipate.

"Brother! You're back!" As soon as Zhou Ye stepped into the farm, Zhou Xiaocao came up to him with a small bamboo basket. Inside the basket were two warm eggs and a bunch of small green vegetables with dew on them. "I'm making chicken soup for you today to help you recover. You've been gone for almost ten days, and I've been counting down the days waiting for you."

Zhou Ye smiled as he took the bamboo basket, raised his hand to gently rub her soft hair, his fingertips touching the tiny blades of grass in her hair, and his heart warmed: "Thank you for your hard work, little grass. I missed you too."

"It's not hard work!" Little Grass shook her head, her little hands tightly gripping his clothes as she walked towards the wooden house. "The hen has laid so many eggs again, and the piglets have all gotten so fat in spring. I feed them every day, and they all listen to me. And the little fish in the pond have grown so much too!"

On the small table in the wooden cabin, a simple meal was already laid out—a bowl of soft, sticky white rice, a plate of chopped stir-fried vegetables, and a soft-boiled fried egg. Zhou Ye sat down to eat, while Xiao Cao sat on a small stool beside him, her little hand supporting her chin, blinking her bright eyes as she asked, "Brother, can you play with me for a while this time? The wheat I planted has grown so tall, I want you to see it, and I also want you to teach me how to weave grasshoppers."

Zhou Ye put down his chopsticks, looking at his sister's expectant eyes, a pang of guilt rising in his heart. In the two years since he transmigrated, he had been busy building his team and fighting the Japanese army, spending very little time with his sister. Most of the time, Xiaocao was left alone on the farm, entertaining herself. "This time we can stay for two days," he said softly. "After I finish what I'm doing, I'll take you to harvest wheat, go to the pond to see the fish, and teach you how to weave grasshoppers, lots and lots of them, okay?"

The little grass jumped for joy, its face beaming with excitement: "Great! That's wonderful! I also want my brother to try my pickled vegetables, made with baby radishes from the farm. They're so delicious!"

Zhou Ye smiled and agreed, but in his heart he was already planning his next move. Although the Japanese army's "mopping-up" operation against the Pingxi base area had failed, they were still continuously transferring supplies from Beiping to replenish their troops, while the puppet regime in the city was intensifying its exploitation of the people, causing them immense suffering. He, Zhao Hu, and the liaison officer of the Pingxi base area had already agreed to launch an attack on a vital Japanese supply line in the near future, which would both cut off the Japanese army's supplies and deliver urgently needed medicines and ammunition to the base area.

Two days later, Zhou Ye reluctantly bid farewell to his sister and returned to the mountain cave stronghold on the outskirts of the city. Zhao Hu and his core members were already waiting there. The latest battle map was hanging on the wall, densely marked with the Japanese army's transport routes, troop distribution, and ambush points. This transport route started from Beiping City, went through the western suburbs highway to the Japanese stronghold near the Pingxi base area, and departed every Wednesday morning, escorting a small squad of Japanese soldiers and a platoon of puppet troops, along with a truck loaded with a heavy machine gun.

"Brother Zhou, all preparations are complete!" Zhao Hu patted his shoulder, his eyes brimming with fighting spirit. "The comrades from the Pingxi base area will meet us in the mountains east of the highway, taking care of the puppet troops at the rear. Our mission is to ambush at Eagle's Beak Cliff in the middle section. The terrain there is treacherous, and the highway is narrow, making it perfect for an ambush. We'll blow up the lead truck first, then take care of the rest of the enemy from our high vantage point!"

Zhou Ye walked to the map, traced the location of "Eagle Beak Cliff" with his fingertip, and frowned slightly: "The Japanese army has suffered losses from ambush several times, so they will definitely be more vigilant this time. Although Eagle Beak Cliff has good terrain, if they send scouts ahead to explore, our ambush will be exposed."

He paused, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes: "I have a plan. I'll infiltrate the puppet army stronghold in the western suburbs and make contact with our informant. He'll have him deliberately add some impurities to the fuel before the convoy sets off, causing the lead truck to break down halfway. This way, the convoy will stop for repairs near Eagle's Beak Cliff, and we can take advantage of the situation to strike them off guard."

"Great! That's a brilliant move!" Zhao Hu slammed his hand on the table. "I'll lead the brothers to ambush at Eagle's Beak Cliff. You can go without worry; we'll wait for your signal!"

Three days later, it was the day the Japanese transport convoy was to depart. At dawn, under the cover of darkness, Zhou Ye activated his advanced stealth technique and infiltrated the puppet army stronghold in the western suburbs like a ghost. Drawing on his three years of experience, he evaded the patrolling Japanese and puppet troops and successfully made contact with his inside man. The inside man was an oil worker in the stronghold who had long been fed up with the oppression of the Japanese army. Under Zhou Ye's instigation, he joined the resistance. Following Zhou Ye's instructions, he secretly mixed ground iron rust powder into the fuel while refueling the transport trucks.

After everything was settled, Zhou Ye quietly withdrew from the stronghold and headed straight for Eagle's Beak Cliff. At this time, Zhao Hu had already led twenty brothers to ambush in the bushes on both sides of the cliff, each holding a submachine gun or rifle and with grenades hanging from their waists, waiting for the convoy to arrive.

Just as dawn was breaking, the roar of cars and the sound of horses' hooves could be heard in the distance—a Japanese transport convoy had arrived. Leading the way was a heavy truck, followed by three horse-drawn carts, all loaded with ammunition, food, and medicine. Last was a truck carrying a heavy machine gun. Japanese and puppet troops sat upright in the vehicles, vigilantly scanning their surroundings.

The convoy indeed stopped in the middle of Eagle's Beak Cliff—the lead truck had broken down due to fuel problems. The driver got out to check, cursing as he opened the hood, and the Japanese and puppet troops also got out and stretched, their vigilance noticeably lowered.

"Go!" Zhou Ye shouted and threw a grenade first.

"Boom!" The grenade exploded amidst the Japanese troops, sending debris flying and screams erupting instantly. The soldiers on both sides of the cliff immediately opened fire, the sounds of submachine guns and rifles mingling, bullets raining down on the Japanese and puppet troops. Caught off guard, the Japanese and puppet soldiers fell one after another, while the remaining men frantically sought cover, trying to organize a counterattack.

Zhou Ye leaped off the cliff, his short knife gleaming coldly. With his advanced combat skills, his movements were lightning fast as he charged straight at the truck carrying the heavy machine gun. Just as the machine gunner was about to pull the trigger, Zhou Ye severed his wrist with a single stroke, followed by a clean and swift cut to his throat.

Zhao Hu led his brothers down the river and engaged the Japanese and puppet troops in close combat. The guerrilla brothers fought bravely, and all the anger they had accumulated over the years erupted at this moment. The Japanese and puppet troops, whose morale was already low, were stunned by the sudden ambush and quickly collapsed.

The battle lasted half an hour, and the Japanese and puppet troops in the convoy were completely annihilated, with not a single one escaping. The brothers cheered and rushed forward to unload the ammunition, food, and medicine from the wagons, preparing to send them to the Pingxi base area. Zhou Ye stood by the roadside, looking at the enemy corpses scattered on the ground, his eyes showing no emotion—in the past two or three years, he had witnessed too much life and death, and he had become increasingly clear that only by fighting blood for blood could the invaders be driven out of this land.

Just then, the roar of cars came from afar—it was Japanese reinforcements! Clearly, the Japanese troops at the stronghold had discovered that the convoy had lost contact and immediately sent troops to provide support.

"Quick! Load the supplies onto the wagons and retreat!" Zhou Ye shouted. The men immediately sped up, loading the supplies onto the wagons and racing towards the Pingxi base area. Zhou Ye brought up the rear, occasionally turning back to fire his gun, slowing down the Japanese pursuit.

Fortunately, comrades from the Pingxi base area provided cover, setting up roadblocks along the way and successfully blocking Japanese reinforcements. By the time Zhou Ye and his men safely arrived at the base area, it was already broad daylight. The soldiers and civilians of the base area were already waiting at the village entrance, and they cheered with joy upon seeing the load of supplies.

After a short rest, Zhou Ye bid farewell to Zhao Hu and his comrades in the base area and returned alone to the outskirts of Beiping—he missed his sister at the farm.

When Zhou Ye returned to the system's farm, he found Zhou Xiaocao carefully weeding on the edge of the field. The seven-year-old girl stood on tiptoe, her small hands clumsily pulling at the weeds. The golden wheat ears shimmered in the sunlight, brushing against her little head. Seeing Zhou Ye return, she immediately dropped the weeds and ran towards him, her short legs moving quickly: "Brother! You're back! Did it go well this time? Are you hurt?"

Zhou Ye opened his arms and hugged his sister tightly as she rushed towards him, his voice gentle: "Shunli, brother is alright. Look, we've seized a lot of food and medicine, which can help many people."

Little Grass tilted her head back, blinked, and asked, "When can we go home? I miss Aunt Lü, I miss the old lady, and I miss the old locust tree in the yard."

Zhou Ye felt a pang of sadness and gently stroked her hair: "It'll be soon, Xiao Cao, just wait a little longer. Once we've completely driven the Japanese out of Beiping, we'll go back to the courtyard house and never be apart again."

He knew that in 1940, Beiping was still firmly controlled by the invaders, and the road to resisting Japan was still long and arduous. But as long as his sister was safe, as long as his brothers were still around, and as long as the flames of war in the base area were still burning, he had boundless courage and perseverance to hone his skills in the dark night and wait for the day when dawn would break.

As the sun set, golden sunlight bathed the farm's fields. Zhou Ye, holding his younger sister's hand, strolled along the field ridges, gazing at the lush green crops and the playful animals, his heart filled with unwavering resolve. He knew that this small farm was not only his sister's safe haven but also his logistical base for resisting aggression. And his and his sister's dream of peace would, step by step, become a reality through the crucible of war.