23: Chapter 23 Heading West!

The night passed in silence.

The next morning, a thin mist filled the valley. The campfire had long since gone out, leaving only a pile of ashes.

After a night of rest, the condition of Ding Zhijian and the other two had visibly improved.

Color had returned to their faces, their eyes regained their former sharpness, and even their voices were much stronger.

For those using sulfonamide for the first time, it was a miracle drug that could bring one back from the brink of death!

After another unforgettable breakfast, they briefly packed up the camp and set off once more.

Shen Wang's goal was clear: follow the Ping-Shi Line all the way west, straight toward Shanxi Province.

Last night, while no one was watching, Shen Wang had resupplied the 99A.

Now, with a full tank and a full load of ammunition, it was in peak condition.

Inside the vehicle, the atmosphere was much more relaxed than the day before.

Sha Zhenjiang even hummed a tuneless little ditty while driving.

Although Ding Zhijian and Meng Guanglin remained steady, the gravity in their expressions had lessened significantly.

Last night was arguably the most peaceful sleep they had had in the month since they were captured.

One could even say it was the most soundly they had slept since they began their undercover mission.

Shen Wang's mood had also lightened considerably.

Yesterday, the 99A's debut had crushed a Japanese battalion with overwhelming force.

Having suffered such a heavy loss, the Japanese would surely be much more cautious and wouldn't dare to come and court death so easily again, right?

As this thought arose, another, bolder idea began to take root—

Since the Japanese won't come to me, I shall go to them!

With the 99A's absolutely invincible defense in this era, raiding a few Japanese outposts and camps should be no problem, right?

Thinking of this, Shen Wang asked, "Old Ding, Old Meng, Little Sha, are you familiar with this area?"

"Do you know where there are any Japanese outposts nearby?"

Hearing this, the three of them were momentarily stunned, not quite understanding what Shen Wang meant.

Shen Wang explained with a smile, "I mean, should we... take out one or two of their outposts!"

Take out Japanese outposts?

"Hiss—!"

The three of them gasped, feeling the hair on their arms stand on end.

This idea was simply too bold!

But on second thought, with this iron beast that even anti-tank guns couldn't touch, it seemed... truly feasible!

The group was instantly excited!

However, the excitement didn't last long because they didn't know where any Japanese outposts were in the vicinity.

The three of them usually operated within Beijing and rarely left the city, so they weren't familiar with the Japanese troop deployments in the border region between Pingxi and Jixi.

"A pity..."

Shen Wang felt a bit of regret, as if he had missed out on hundreds of millions of military merit points.

Ding Zhijian and the others also felt some regret.

Otherwise, they might have truly achieved a world-shaking feat!

However, this regret didn't last long either.

Ding Zhijian, who was in charge of observation, suddenly spoke in a tense voice: "Mr. Shen! There seems to be something ahead!"

"Oh?"

Shen Wang perked up and immediately looked ahead through the periscope.

Sure enough, in the telescope's field of view, he could see the road ahead blocked by sandbags, timber, and other materials.

"Heh! There really are those who aren't afraid of death!"

These were all military merit points.

Shen Wang didn't waste any words and fired a high-explosive shell directly.

"Boom—!"

Rumble!!!

The violent explosion was deafening. Wood chips, sand, and shredded sandbags flew in all directions. The once-solid roadblock was instantly blown open, creating a large gap and clearing a path.

However, after the sound of the cannon faded, Shen Wang frowned slightly.

Something's not right!

After the explosion, the expected fierce counterattack from the Japanese didn't happen.

He saw the Japanese Soldiers who had been behind the roadblock; instead of using the fortifications to resist, they scrambled like frightened rabbits into the roadside ditches and woods, vanishing in the blink of an eye!

"Mr. Shen, the situation isn't right!" Ding Zhijian also noticed the anomaly.

"Why did the Japanese run after just one shot? This isn't like them!"

Meng Guanglin added, "And looking at the scale just now, there was at most one squad of Japanese here. Setting up such a crude roadblock couldn't possibly stop us. What do they mean by this?"

When things are abnormal, there must be something fishy!

The sense of relaxation in Shen Wang's heart vanished instantly.

The battlefield is no game.

Although the 99A is powerful, it could still capsize in a small stream if they weren't careful!

"Little Sha, proceed slowly and maintain high alert!"

"Old Ding, Old Meng, keep a close eye on the sides and the rear. Watch out for ambushes!"

The 99A started up again, slowly driving toward the blasted gap at a speed barely faster than walking.

The four people inside held their breath, their fingers on their respective controls or weapons, ready to respond to an attack that could come from any direction at any time.

However, until the 99A completely passed through the destroyed roadblock and slowly drove a kilometer or two away, the expected ambush still hadn't occurred.

There was only the rustling of the wind through the wild grass and the monotonous roar of the tank engine; the silence was enough to make one's skin crawl.

This eerie calm, far from relaxing the four men, made their nerves tighten even further!

The group analyzed for a long while but couldn't determine the specific intentions of the Japanese.

"Whatever, we'll deal with it as it comes!" Shen Wang shook his head, suppressing the doubts in his heart.

"Let's be careful and stay flexible! Keep moving!"

The 99A accelerated slightly and continued west along the Ping-Shi Line.

However, after driving for less than half an hour, a similar situation appeared ahead.

The same large quantity of roadblocks, the same small number of Japanese Soldiers on guard, and the same fleeing as soon as the cannon fired.

Once could be called a coincidence, but twice in a row with the same routine was definitely premeditated!

"Damn it, what on earth are those Japs up to?"

Sha Zhenjiang was the youngest and the first to lose his patience.

"They won't fight, they won't seriously block us, they just turn tail and run. What's the deal?"

Ding Zhijian frowned and analyzed, "I think there are three possibilities!"

"First, they are deliberately showing weakness to lure us deeper, where a bigger trap awaits..."

"Second, they want to deplete our ammunition..."

"Third, they want to delay for time..."

The group began to analyze based on Ding Zhijian's words.

"I don't think it's luring the enemy deeper. Even if they didn't lure us, we were going to go deeper anyway."

"And if there were a trap ahead, doing this would instead alert the enemy!"

The first possibility was dismissed.

"I don't think they want to deplete us either."

"Our advantage lies in our protection. Even if we run out of ammunition and can't fight, we can still run!"

The second possibility was also dismissed.

"Then, only the last possibility remains!"

Three heads are better than one!

After some analysis, they actually managed to guess it.

"Delaying for time?"

Shen Wang's eyes lit up!

What the Japanese were doing seemed more like delaying for time!

"But why are the Japanese delaying? To mobilize more infantry to come and die?"

Obviously, that didn't make sense.

The only explanation was that they were waiting for something that could truly threaten the 99A!

At this possibility, Ding Zhijian and the other two instantly became nervous.

Tanks aren't invincible either!

The three of them didn't think the Japanese were truly helpless against this tank.

If rifles and millet could bring down planes and cannons, why couldn't the Japanese take down a single tank?

However, Shen Wang smiled.

Threaten the 99A?

He wanted to see what kind of ultimate weapon the Japanese had prepared...