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

The morning light in the system farm, carrying the moist scent of grass and trees, swept across the golden wheat fields and fell on the stone slabs in front of the wooden house. Zhou Ye leaned against the eaves, the wound on his shoulder now covered with hemostatic herbs obtained from the system, the cool touch suppressing the pain. The gauze was neatly wrapped, painstakingly done by the little girl on tiptoe, holding her breath.

"Brother, have some more chicken soup," Xiaocao said, carrying a rough earthenware bowl. The soup in the bowl was still steaming. "I've finished feeding the chicks that hatched yesterday, and I've also given the piglets some food. Look how well-behaved they are." She pointed to the chicken coop not far away, where several fluffy, yellow chicks were chirping around their mother hen, while the piglets in the pigpen were grunting and rooting in the dirt.

Zhou Ye took the bowl, the warmth sliding down his throat. His gaze fell on his little sister's hands, still damp with grass. He reached out to brush the awns from her hair, his voice gentle yet earnest: "Little Grass, do you remember what your brother told you yesterday?"

Little Grass nodded immediately, her little face full of seriousness: "I remember! The farm is a secret, the jade pendant is a secret, and you can't tell anyone about my brother's wound or those powerful things, not even Uncle Zhao or Aunt Lü." She clutched the jade pendant under her clothes, feeling its warm touch on her fingertips. "If we tell, bad people will come and steal it, and they'll hurt us, right?"

"Yes." Zhou Ye felt relieved and ruffled her hair. "Little Grass is so good. As long as we keep this secret, we will always have a place to go and we will always be able to meet safely." He knew that in this chaotic world, the farm was not only a supply station and a place to heal wounds, but also his sister's last safe haven. Once this secret was exposed, not only would he and his sister be in imminent danger, but the Pingxi base area might also be subjected to the Japanese army's crazy retaliation.

After resting for half an hour, Zhou Ye felt that the pain in his wound had lessened by more than half. The effects of the system's herbs far surpassed those of ordinary medicines from the outside world. He got up and stretched his shoulder. Although he still couldn't do strenuous exercise, he could handle daily activities without much trouble. "Little Grass, brother is going to meet up with Uncle Zhao," he said, bending down to look at his sister. "You stay home and practice your skills diligently, and take care of the farm. Brother will be back when I'm done."

"I understand!" Xiaocao nodded vigorously, dragging a small cloth bag from the corner of the wooden house. Inside were several bundles of dried herbs. "These are what I picked according to your method. Take them with you and share them with Uncle Zhao and the others. They can use them if they get injured." She didn't mention that these herbs were specially grown on the farm. She just said that she picked them herself in the mountains. This was the "story" that Zhou Ye taught her, so that she wouldn't reveal the secret and could help the team.

Zhou Ye took the cloth bag, a warm feeling welling up inside him. He checked Xiao Cao's jade pendant one last time, making sure it was hidden close to his body, before turning and walking towards the dense forest deep within the farm—his "secret corner" where he always entered and exited, where he would never let outsiders see any trace of his disappearance or reappearance. With a thought, his figure vanished from the farm in an instant, reappearing in a desolate forest deep within Wolf Fang Valley.

He straightened his clothes, stuffed the cloth bag into his backpack, and headed towards the base. Along the way, he deliberately avoided any potential Japanese patrols, using his advanced stealth skills to move like a ghost through the mountains and forests. Around noon, he finally arrived at the cave stronghold on the outskirts of the city.

"Brother Zhou! You're finally back!" Zhao Hu saw him at a glance and immediately came to greet him, his gaze falling on the bandage on his shoulder. "How's the wound? Did it take any longer?"

"It's just a minor injury, it's already taken care of." Zhou Ye smiled and handed over the herbs from his backpack. "I found these by chance in the mountains. They're effective at stopping bleeding and reducing inflammation. I'm sharing them with the brothers for future use." He deliberately downplayed the source of the herbs. Zhao Hu didn't think much of it, took the herbs, and handed them to the team members next to him, muttering, "Brother Zhou is just so lucky."

Inside the cave, under the oil lamp, the battle map was covered with new markings. Zhao Hu pulled Zhou Ye to the map, his face grave: "The Japanese army's supply lines were cut off, and they were enraged. Last night, they mobilized two companies of troops, plus puppet troops, totaling more than 300 men, to carry out a retaliatory 'mopping-up' operation against our outposts on the outskirts of the city. They even threatened to flatten Langya Valley."

Zhou Ye's fingertip landed on the Japanese army's assembly point on the map, his brows furrowing slightly: "More than three hundred men, better equipped than us, a direct confrontation is definitely not going to work." He paused, his mind racing, "Our advantage is that we are familiar with the terrain. Why not turn the tables and lure them into Black Wind Pass—there are cliffs on both sides and only a narrow path in the middle, making it more suitable for an ambush than Wolf Fang Valley."

"That's what I think too!" Zhao Hu slapped his thigh. "I've scouted the terrain of Black Wind Pass; it's indeed an excellent ambush point. But the Japanese have suffered losses a few times, so they'll definitely send out a large number of scouts to explore, making it difficult to lure them in."

A decisive glint flashed in Zhou Ye's eyes: "I have a plan. I'll take two team members and infiltrate near the Japanese assembly point, deliberately exposing our presence to lure them into pursuit. The Japanese, eager for retaliation, will likely underestimate us and follow us into Black Wind Pass. Brother Zhao, you take the main force and pre-position explosives and rolling stones at Black Wind Pass. Once the Japanese enter the ambush zone, block their escape routes and annihilate them in one fell swoop!"

"This is too dangerous!" Zhao Hu immediately objected. "The Japanese army is overwhelmingly powerful. You're only with two people. If we get bogged down, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

"Don't worry," Zhou Ye patted his shoulder, "I have stealth skills, so escaping won't be difficult. And only in this way can we make the Japanese army lower their guard and obediently walk into the ambush." ​​What he didn't say was that the farm was his escape route. If he really encountered a desperate situation, he could return at any time with his mind. However, this secret must never be known to anyone.

Zhao Hu knew Zhou Ye was reliable and possessed skills far exceeding those of ordinary people. After a moment's thought, he nodded: "Alright! But you must be careful. Once you successfully lure the enemy in, send a signal immediately. We'll be ready to provide backup!"

That evening, Zhou Ye, along with two agile team members, quietly infiltrated the woods near the Japanese assembly point. As night fell, the lights of the Japanese camp came on, and patrols moved about, maintaining a tight security. Zhou Ye signaled his team members to hide, while he, under the cover of darkness and his advanced stealth skills, quietly crept to the edge of the camp and threw in a homemade smoke bomb.

"Bang!" The smoke grenade exploded, and white smoke instantly filled the air. The Japanese soldiers in the camp immediately became agitated, with shouts and gunfire erupting one after another. Zhou Ye seized the opportunity to shoot and hit a patrolling Japanese soldier, then turned and ran, deliberately leaving obvious traces.

"Chase them! Don't let them get away!" the Japanese squad leader roared, leading a group of soldiers in pursuit. Zhou Ye and his men fought and retreated, deliberately choosing rugged mountain paths to avoid being easily caught by the Japanese while maintaining their line of sight.

As expected, the Japanese army underestimated their enemy, thinking it was just a small guerrilla group harassing them. They were eager for revenge and followed Zhou Ye and his men's trail, gradually approaching Heifengkou. Although some soldiers along the way noticed the treacherous terrain and tried to dissuade them, their squad leaders shouted at them to continue the pursuit.

Half an hour later, as the last Japanese soldier stepped into the narrow section of Black Wind Pass, Zhou Ye's eyes flashed with a cold light, and he raised his hand to fire a signal flare. "Bang!" The red signal flare exploded in the night sky, and then the explosives on the cliffs on both sides detonated with a roar, sending rubble and rocks cascading down, instantly blocking the Japanese army's path forward and retreat.

"Attack!" Zhao Hu roared, and the team members who were lying in ambush on the cliff immediately opened fire. The sounds of submachine guns and rifles clashed together, and bullets rained down on the Japanese soldiers trapped in the valley.

Zhou Ye led two of his men in a counterattack, his short sword flashing coldly in the night, precisely reaping the lives of Japanese soldiers. He deliberately controlled the pace of the battle, neither revealing his extraordinary strength nor failing to kill the enemy efficiently—he knew that this ambush had to be resolved quickly, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable if Japanese reinforcements arrived.

The battle lasted for more than two hours. All the Japanese troops inside Black Wind Pass were annihilated, and the puppet troops either surrendered or were killed. The team members cheered as they cleaned up the battlefield and collected weapons and ammunition. Zhao Hu walked up to Zhou Ye, patted him on the shoulder, and laughed loudly, "Brother Zhou, your plan to lure the enemy was brilliant! We've won a great victory this time. Let's see if the Japanese dare to attack again!"

Zhou Ye smiled, a trickle of blood seeping from the wound on his shoulder from the fight. He glanced at the sky, his mind preoccupied with his sister at the farm, and said to Zhao Hu, "Brother Zhao, I'm going to find a place nearby to treat my wound and check if any escaped. I'll return to the base later."

"Okay! Be careful!" Zhao Hu didn't think much of it, gave him a word of advice, and then went to arrange the follow-up matters.

Zhou Ye turned and walked into the dense forest deep within Black Wind Pass. After confirming that no one was around, he moved his mind and his figure instantly disappeared from the spot. When he opened his eyes again, he was back on the ridge of the system farm.

"Brother!" Little Grass's voice rang out immediately. She was sitting on the stone slab waiting for him. Seeing him appear, she ran over and grabbed his clothes tightly with her little hands. "You're back! Are you hurt?"

Zhou Ye bent down and picked her up. Feeling his sister's warm embrace, all his fatigue and anger instantly vanished. He looked down into her worried eyes and whispered, "It's alright, brother won. Soon, Xiaocao will be able to live a life without having to hide."

Night deepened, and the farm was peaceful. Zhou Ye leaned against the eaves, with Xiao Cao sitting beside him, her little hand gently stroking the bandage on his shoulder, humming a tuneless nursery rhyme. Zhou Ye gazed at the starry sky, his heart filled with unwavering resolve—as long as he could keep this secret and protect his sister, even if the road ahead was fraught with war, he would forge ahead without hesitation until the Japanese army was completely driven out of this land, ushering in true peace.