Courtyard Houses: Longevity Since the War of Resistance

In a grove of trees in Suzhou, I chose a poplar tree as thick as a bowl. It was straight and tall enough. I wrapped my arms around the trunk, unleashed my power, and uprooted the entire tree.

He weighed it in his hand; it wasn't too heavy. He took a running start, then unleashed the full power of the "Ladder to the Clouds" technique, pushing off with his feet and soaring into the sky while clinging to the tree trunk. The ascent was incredibly fast; the wind whistled in his ears, and the ground flew rapidly away.

In the blink of an eye, it soared to a height of 100 meters. The skill of "ladder to the clouds" relies on leveraging. If you can't leverage it, it will be difficult to go any higher. That's where the big tree comes in handy.

He tossed the large tree he was holding behind him, and as soon as he finished the tossing motion, his right foot landed precisely on the middle of the trunk.

Boom!

With a loud thud, a solid counter-propulsion force came from the soles of my feet, and I successfully used the second force!

Using the force of that stomp, my body shot upwards a great distance, completely clearing the height of the Suzhou city wall. The tree, stomped on by me, plummeted downwards, crashing with a loud thud onto the open ground outside the city, its branches breaking and leaves flying everywhere.

Right now, three thousand thunderbolts!

With three quick movements, he reappeared, his feet firmly planted on the roof tiles of the clock tower. The clock tower is one of the tallest buildings in Suzhou, offering a panoramic view of the entire city.

Take a deep breath, open your mouth to the whole city, and this time you won't sing "Heroes' Song," but a song more appropriate for the occasion.

"The moon sets, crows cry, frost fills the sky; a thousand miles to Jiangling, a day's journey complete."

"Let not the golden goblet stand empty before the moon."

"The clouds drift aimlessly, the water flows leisurely, like pearls of all sizes falling onto a jade plate."

"It's hard to meet, and it's even harder to part."

"One night in the borderlands"

"Don't drink too much."

"The bandits of Black Wind Stronghold never show any mercy."

"One night in the borderlands"

Remember to come back soon.

"People who are consumed by longing are more likely to spark conflict."

Sound source fog, activate!

Because of the different songs, the fog effects are also different. This time, the fog is like water, not thick but viscous. If you breathe it on your body for a long time, you will get wet. The visibility is only slightly improved.

This is the consequence of the lack of communication between Wushi and Sushi; the same thick fog descended upon both cities, but neither of them knew it.

I must also praise myself for causing them trouble and distrust. It has to be the head skill, the top of the head skill, the hair skill, and the tip of the hair skill.

We've gotten off-topic... The plan isn't finished yet.

"Earth Intimates~~~" activated (smug tone), carefully controlling the power to only cause continuous tremors in the shallow soil layer three to five meters below the surface.

The ground began to tremble, the houses shook, people couldn't stand up straight, and the entire city of Suzhou began to shake, like entering a nightclub.

The Japanese lied. Their wretched island is prone to earthquakes, so naturally they know what it is.

"Earthquake!" (Earthquake!)

"Escape!" (Run quickly!)

The first to react were the sentries in the pillbox. Seeing the glass trembling and the wooden planks shaking beneath their feet through the lookout holes, they instinctively rushed out. Next were those sleeping in the barracks, who were awakened by the tremors and scrambled out, quickly forming ranks of Japanese soldiers on the streets.

No matter how strong the earthquake is, get to an open space first. If you're unlucky enough to be crushed to death, you won't be able to go home.

These Japanese devils still want to go home. They don't know that I'm here today. There's only one outcome for them: to go see their great-great-grandparents.

"What is the magnitude of the earthquake?"

"Bon からん! でも続いてる!" (I don't know! But it's still going on!)

The experienced Japanese sergeant shouted, "Get away from the buildings! Gather in the plaza!"

The Japanese soldiers began to run towards the open ground, and the sentries on the city wall also retreated down, because if the battlements collapsed, it wouldn't be fun to fall down.

Inside the command post, Muto Akira steadied himself by holding onto the table. The continuous tremors beneath his feet made him uneasy. Why was the earthquake so sudden? Not even the dogs barked.

"General!" Major General Ono rushed in, "It's confirmed, the whole city felt the tremors! The soldiers have all evacuated from the buildings!"

Muto Akira frowned: "Where are the hostages?"

"Still tied up inside the fortifications! Should we bring him out?"

Muto Akira squinted at the still slightly swaying watchtower in the distance, his mind racing with calculations.

Bring it out?

Bringing them out means we need to station troops to watch over them and prevent them from escaping in the chaos. If these hundreds of hostages are taken to an open area and the earthquake intensifies, the crowd could panic and cause a stampede, resulting in soldier casualties.

More importantly, are the hostages valuable?

Muto Akira smiled.

It's worthless.

Suzhou has a population of two to three hundred thousand. If these people die, we can just arrest them again tomorrow. But weapons, ammunition, food, medicine, radio equipment, and documents—those are the real resources.

These supplies are the most vulnerable to damage in an earthquake and must be rescued as a priority.

"Ignore the hostages," Muto Akira said coldly. "Pass on my orders: each company must immediately organize its forces and prioritize the evacuation of weapons, ammunition, food, medicine, and important documents from the buildings! The hostages are left to fend for themselves."

"But General, what if the fortifications collapse..."

"So what if it collapsed?" Muto Akira turned and walked towards the command post. "Is the death of a few Chinese considered a loss? Execute orders!"

"Hi!"

Commands were passed down through the ranks.

The Japanese soldiers in the pillbox began to frantically move supplies. Boxes of bullets and grenades were carried out, bags of rice and flour were dragged out, and medical kits and document boxes were piled up in the yard.

As for the civilians imprisoned in the lower levels of the fortifications? Nobody cared. The doors remained locked, and the sentries had all been removed to move things.

The second step of the plan is to release water.

With a focused mind, one can connect with the underground water veins. Suzhou City has abundant groundwater resources; a little guidance is all it takes.

Puff puff!

Muddy groundwater gushed out, quickly filling the fortifications. The water wasn't deep, just above ankle level, but it was enough to terrify the bound civilians.

"Water! Water's coming in!"

"Help! I'm drowning!"

Seeing the gushing water, the Japanese soldiers became even more certain that it was a major earthquake and intensified their evacuation.

When the time was right, under the cover of the fog, I slid to the back of the first watchtower, and with a single blow, I punched a large hole in it. Inside, more than thirty civilians were soaking in the water, and they were all stunned when they saw the hole.

"Don't make a sound," I whispered. "I'm here to save you. One at a time."

The voice was very soft, but it could be heard clearly in the quiet fortifications. The old man closest to the door stared wide-eyed, his lips trembling: "You...you are..."

I gestured an eight, and the old man immediately understood. He and his companions helped each other move out, no one spoke, only their panting and the sound of splashing water filled the air.

When they had rescued about twenty people, they suddenly heard footsteps outside. Two Japanese soldiers carrying boxes passed by the back of the pillbox, and one of them glanced in their direction.

"Um?"

He put down the box and walked this way. I raised my hand to signal them to continue, and just as the Japanese soldiers were about to arrive, two throwing knives were thrown, eliminating the threat.

"quick!"

The people acted even faster. By the time the last few people were rescued, the water had reached their calves, and I kept the water level at that point.

"Find a good place to hide, the main force will come to liberate you today."

The first group of civilians disappeared into the thick fog. I turned to the second pillbox, followed the same method, and successfully rescued them.

In front of the city, the Japanese built eight pillboxes, covering the entire route into the city.

I've rescued seven so far, and this is the last one I need.

The fortifications of this pillbox housed only elderly people, with an average age of over sixty. Several of them were so weak that they could barely stand and were leaning against the wall for support.

After they made the hole, they could tell I wasn't a Japanese soldier just by looking at my clothes.

"Young man, please save us..." an old man with white hair said weakly.

I have no choice but to take a risky approach. I'll activate the Illusion Boy, and all the old men and women will fall into a hallucination. Then I'll use the Thirteen Ghost Needles to put them to sleep. After that, I'll open the fourth-dimensional space and send them inside. It's absolutely safe here. I'll release them after I've dealt with Su City. Perfect!

Poficote!

All eight watchtowers and 427 civilians were rescued.

Standing atop the empty pillbox, listening to the shouts of the Japanese soldiers in the distance, I shook the water off my hands; it was time to get down to business.

Death has come to claim people! (From Bilibili user "Old Tomato")