182: Side quests resume

Feng Hanqing picked up a cigarette from the table, lit it, and smoked in silence.

After a long while, a look of deep worry flashed across his face, and he spoke slowly, "Boss Lu, besides fighting the war of resistance, I have another selfish motive for coming south. You should know that my elder brother has been placed under house arrest; I want to rescue him."

Lu Fan heard this and asked casually, "Does Mr. Feng know exactly where General Zhang is currently being held?"

"According to the information I've gathered from various sources, he should be at the Xuedou Mountain Travel Agency Guesthouse in Town. The security there is extremely tight," Feng Hanqing whispered.

Lu Fan's eyes flickered slightly as he nodded. "If Mr. Feng trusts me, allow me to plan this matter carefully."

Hearing that Lu Fan didn't refuse outright but instead agreed to find a way to rescue him, a light of hope immediately erupted in Feng Hanqing's eyes.

He abruptly raised his wine glass. "Boss Lu, if this can truly be done, then from this day forward, I, Feng Hanqing, along with the lives of my two hundred men, will follow your lead implicitly."

"It's all for the sake of fighting the Japanese invaders," Lu Fan said, also raising his glass.

Three wine glasses clinked together with a crisp sound. A new partnership was quietly forged within the Peace Hotel.

It was already late at night when Lu Fan returned to the study at Xiafei Manor.

With a thought, he opened the mission system, and a side quest appeared.

[Side Quest: Rescue the Young Marshal. Rescue the Northeast Army's Young Marshal within 72 hours.]

Lu Fan raised an eyebrow slightly. Since the mission was time-limited, there was no time to lose.

It was just past midnight, so it was still early enough for him to make a round trip.

He no longer hesitated, donned his Bionic Flight Suit, blended into the pitch-black night, and flew toward the direction of Yongcheng.

Over three hours later, the familiar silhouette of the Jiangnan water Towns below came into view.

As a true native of the Jiangzhe region—even though this 'Jiangzhe' wasn't the same as the one he knew—returning to this land still gave him a strange sense of familiarity.

He lowered his altitude and flew toward Town according to his memory.

By the time he reached the outskirts of Town, the eastern horizon was already beginning to pale.

Lu Fan knew he couldn't fly anymore; an aerial target during the day was too conspicuous and easily exposed.

He landed at the edge of a quiet mountain forest and stowed away his flight suit.

"Xuedou Mountain Travel Agency Guesthouse..." Lu Fan muttered the name to himself.

He knew the general area, but the specific path and exact location were unclear.

As the sky brightened, the sounds of people began to emerge from the Town.

He activated his [Disguise] skill, transformed into Lu Fans alias, and strolled leisurely into the Town.

Finding a breakfast stall, he ordered a bowl of soy milk and a few fried dough sticks.

"Boss, business is booming, I see."

As Lu Fan ate, he struck up a conversation with the owner in a seemingly casual manner. "Friend, I'd like to ask you about a place. I heard there's a travel agency guesthouse on Xuedou Mountain with a nice environment. I wanted to check it out, but I'm not sure how to get there."

The owner wiped his hands on his apron, frowned in thought for a long time, then shook his head blankly. "Travel agency? Guesthouse? Never heard of it. There are some nunneries and temples on Xuedou Mountain, and plenty of pilgrims, but I've never heard of any travel agency. Sir, are you sure you have the right place?"

Lu Fan's heart sank. If even the locals didn't know, it seemed this place of house arrest was even more hidden than he had imagined.

After finishing breakfast, Lu Fan realized that conventional inquiries would likely yield no results, so he decided to find an inn to rest first.

He would recuperate and then find a way to capture a 'tongue' to interrogate once night fell.

He found a clean inn in Town and requested a room.

Just as he was heading upstairs, his multifunctional glasses alerted him: Suspicious personnel tracking detected.

On the street corner, there were two men in black Zhongshan suits with sharp gazes, glancing toward the inn with feigned indifference.

"I'm being watched?" Lu Fan's heart tightened.

Clearly, his inquiry about the guesthouse earlier had been too abrupt, attracting the attention of hidden sentries.

This Town was indeed a dragon's den with heavy security.

He calmly entered his room, pretending to rest.

In reality, he changed his appearance, climbed out the back window, and silently left through the alley behind the inn, shaking off his tail.

He didn't return to the Town but instead headed straight into Xuedou Mountain on the outskirts.

Since he couldn't find the specific location through inquiries, he would use the brute-force method. He activated the reconnaissance mode of his multifunctional glasses.

Moving forward cautiously, he scanned the surrounding environment, trying to find any building that looked like a guesthouse.

Just then, several terrified screams and the wild roars of a boar suddenly erupted from deep within the forest ahead.

Lu Fan's heart tightened, and he immediately looked toward the sound.

He saw a massive wild boar with menacing tusks frantically chasing three or four half-grown children.

The children were scared out of their wits, running for their lives, and were about to be caught.

*Swoosh—*

Without hesitation, Lu Fan raised his hand. A bullet fired from his silenced pistol.

A perfect shot—in through the left eye and out through the right ear.

The children, their hearts still pounding, looked at the stranger who had suddenly appeared.

Then they looked at the large wild boar collapsed on the ground, their faces filled with lingering fear and gratitude.

"Th... thank you, sir, for saving our lives!" one of the older children found the courage to thank him.

"It's alright. Be more careful when you come into the mountains from now on."

Lu Fan smiled. Seeing that these children's clothes were old but clean, they seemed to be from families living in the nearby mountains.

He took out some snacks and an iced cola from his pack. "Here, have this to calm your nerves."

The children had never seen such a drink before; they were both curious and pleasantly surprised.

They carefully took it, and after a sip of the cola, the stimulating sensation made their eyes widen in surprise.

Taking a bite of a potato chip, they squinted their eyes in happiness.

Instantly, their goodwill toward Lu Fan increased manifold.

"Sir, you're such a good person!" the children gathered around him, chattering away.

During the idle talk, Lu Fan learned that their fathers had all gone out to fight the Japanese invaders.

Upon hearing that their fathers were all in the 89th Division, he sighed and cautioned them, "There aren't many people in these mountains. You still need to be careful when you come here to play."

A child with his mouth stuffed with potato chips replied indistinctly, "It's not like there's nobody! If you go down that valley, there's a big courtyard. It's very grand. There are even soldiers standing guard, and they won't let us get close."

Lu Fan heard this: a big courtyard, soldiers on guard, heavy security. This was exactly the lead he needed. He pulled out some lollipops and tossed them over as a reward.

Another child, seeing this, immediately chimed in, "I know too! My grandpa used to deliver vegetables there. My grandpa said there's a high-ranking official locked up inside, which is why it's so heavily guarded. He was very mysterious about it!"

This matched perfectly. It was truly a case of finding by chance what one couldn't find through searching. That courtyard was likely the Xuedou Mountain Travel Agency Guesthouse he was looking for.

He smiled and took out even more snacks to distribute to the children, carefully asking for the specific direction and path to that valley.

The children ate happily and told him everything they knew without reservation.

After obtaining the exact information, Lu Fan told the children to go home as soon as possible and stay safe.

Then, with a flash of his figure, he quickly slipped away toward the valley the children had pointed out.

The real rescue operation was about to begin.