Holding the original shares, they fought all the way to the Korean War!

Zhou Tianyang and his group had already left the small village quietly.

Instead of taking the main road, they followed a narrow path through the fields, heading southeast.

Ma Yong found out about this road last night from a fellow villager.

Although it's seven or eight miles longer than the official road.

But its advantage lies in its remoteness, with no outposts or checkpoints along the way.

Zhou Tianyang walked in the middle of the group, his steps a little lighter than in the previous days.

He couldn't quite explain the feeling; it was as if a stone that had been pressing on his heart for a long time had finally been removed.

That sleep last night.

This was the best night's sleep he'd had since he transmigrated.

It was as if something had quietly returned to its place after that meal and those few words.

Liu Ping walked beside him and glanced at him sideways.

"Commander Zhou, you're walking with a swagger today."

Zhou Tianyang didn't reply, but the corners of his mouth curved slightly.

Liu Ping smiled and didn't say anything more.

He worked in the rear for many years and met all kinds of people, some who were good at fighting but had worries on their minds, and some who were eloquent but unreliable.

Zhou Tianyang is a man of few words, but he does everything cleanly and efficiently.

I never hesitate when I shouldn't, nor do I force myself to stop when I should.

He entered Suzhou yesterday, and when he returned, he seemed to have shed something.

Although he didn't say it explicitly, Liu Ping could tell.

The group passed through a mixed forest, and suddenly the view ahead opened up.

A small river lies in front of us, its water crystal clear, with a stone bridge spanning its surface.

Ma Yong stopped at the bridgehead and glanced back at Zhou Tianyang.

Zhou Tianyang walked to the bridgehead, his gaze sweeping over the reeds on both sides of the river, then looking at the fields and villages in the distance, before turning his gaze away.

"How far is it after we cross this bridge?"

"After crossing the bridge, walk another fifteen or sixteen li, and you'll find a town called Qingpu."

Ma Yong answered very decisively.

"Once you reach Qingpu, continue eastward into Shanghai."

Zhou Tianyang nodded, said nothing more, and stepped onto the stone bridge.

The procession crossed the stone bridge one by one.

After crossing the bridge, the road became smoother.

The fields on both sides gradually turned into vegetable gardens and orchards.

Occasionally, you can see a few early-rising farmers bending over to work.

Seeing this group of people pass by, he only looked up once and then looked down again, without giving them any further attention.

They walked for about an hour and a half.

A town appeared by the roadside ahead.

We've arrived in Qingpu.

The town is small, consisting of a main street with dozens of shops on both sides.

Ma Yong slowed his pace, waited for Zhou Tianyang to catch up, then turned his head and whispered:

"Commander, would you like to rest in town?"

Zhou Tianyang's gaze swept across the entire street, but he did not see any puppet troops or Japanese soldiers.

"Take a break and have something to eat before you go."

The group dispersed in twos and threes, and a few soldiers went into a noodle shop that looked fairly clean by the roadside and each ordered a bowl of plain noodles.

Ma Yong also took a bowl and squatted on the long bench at the entrance of the shop, slurping his food while his eyes constantly scanned the street.

Zhou Tianyang ordered a bowl of wontons and sat in a seat near the back to eat slowly.

Liu Ping sat next to him and ordered a bowl of noodles, eating at a moderate pace.

Neither of them spoke.

But that silence didn't make people feel awkward.

When I had eaten half a bowl of noodles, someone walked into the shop.

He was a man in his forties, wearing an old straw hat and carrying a bamboo basket with a few bunches of green vegetables in his hand.

He walked to the counter and said a few words to the shopkeeper, but his voice was soft and indistinct.

Zhou Tianyang's gaze lingered on him for a moment, then moved away.

That person looked like an ordinary town resident who would leave after buying groceries.

But after he put the shopping basket on the counter...

His movements were a beat slower than those of normal people buying groceries, as if he was waiting for something.

The shopkeeper weighed the vegetables for him, took the money, and handed the basket back to him.

The man took the basket of vegetables, turned around and took two steps toward the door, then suddenly stopped, as if he was hesitating about something.

Then he turned around and walked to Zhou Tianyang's table.

"Sir."

His voice was neither too loud nor too soft.

"You're heading east, aren't you?"

Zhou Tianyang looked up at him but did not answer immediately.

The person had an unnatural smile on their face, as if they had something to say but were hesitant to say it.

"It's heading east."

Zhou Tianyang put down his chopsticks, his tone amiable.

"What's wrong?"

The man looked around, as if to make sure no one else was paying attention to them.

Then he lowered his voice and said something.

"That road to the east is a bit dangerous."

"If you're heading east, it's best to take a longer route and avoid that road."

Zhou Tianyang's gaze lingered on his face for a moment, then he nodded, his tone remaining calm.

"Thanks for the reminder, brother."

The man didn't say anything more, picked up his vegetable basket, and quickly walked out of the noodle shop.

Ma Yong, holding a bowl, turned around from the doorway and looked at Zhou Tianyang.

Zhou Tianyang picked up the last wonton, put it in his mouth, chewed it slowly, and swallowed it.

Then put down your chopsticks and place the money on the table.

They left the noodle shop and instead of heading to the east end of town, they took a leisurely stroll around the town.

Ma Yong walked at the front of the group.

His gaze swept discreetly across the main road on the east side of the town that led towards Shanghai.

Sure enough, I saw something lying across the road in the distance.

Zhou Tianyang stood behind a tree on the edge of the town and followed Ma Yong's gaze.

The checkpoint was not far away, about two miles away, with several thick wooden stakes lying across the road and a covered truck parked next to it.

Several figures dressed in Japanese military uniforms could be vaguely seen moving around.

"Let's take a detour."

Zhou Tianyang withdrew his gaze, his tone remaining largely calm.

"It's just a matter of walking a few more miles."

Ma Yong nodded and turned around to make a gesture behind him.

Instead of turning back, the team headed southeast along a dirt road in the fields south of the town.

This road is not easy to travel.

The ridges between the paddy fields are so narrow that only one person can pass at a time, and the wet mud on both sides makes it easy to slip.

They walked for about an hour and a half.

Having bypassed the area affected by that checkpoint, we turned back onto the main road leading towards Shanghai.

The terrain ahead began to change, and the houses became increasingly dense.

The distance between villages is getting shorter and shorter, and there are more and more pedestrians on the road.

Zhou Tianyang noticed that some more regular-shaped buildings were beginning to appear on both sides of the road.

"We're almost there."

Liu Ping walked beside him, his tone carrying an irrepressible lightness.

"We'll be in downtown Shanghai in another half hour."

Zhou Tianyang didn't speak, but his gaze changed slightly.

He knew that arriving in Shanghai did not mean the end.

Entering the city is only the first step; we still need to find someone to meet us.

Liu Ping needs to be delivered safely.

The task can only be considered complete when everything is absolutely perfect.