456: Chapter 456 Falling into the Trap

Han Jingyang's emotions instantly calmed down.

Japanese invaders again?

I just killed a large batch a few days ago, and they're here again?

Why are they like cockroaches that you just can't kill off completely?

Annoying!

Are they here for the large maitreya buddha in the Maitreya Victory Garden, or are they here for the Xingguo Zen Temple?

Or are they just looking to cause destruction?

Are they the same group as those previous waves of Japanese invaders?

A series of questions flashed through his mind, but he asked: "You can actually run short on manpower?"

Zhang Zhiyang gave a bitter smile: "Isn't it because of the loose ends left from last time? The bronze tripod passed down through Xu Xin's sect appeared in Dao City, and a large number of martial artists gathered there. The higher-ups were worried about something major happening, so they transferred personnel over there. Who would have thought that as soon as they left, we discovered Japanese invaders in our own backyard."

Han Jingyang suddenly thought of what Shi Xiaoya said: "To the point where some people suspect whether we've fallen for the Japanese invaders' 'luring the tiger away from the mountain' trick."

He was instantly alerted.

Could it be that Shi Xiaoya was right?

Is it really the Japanese invaders' trick to lure the tiger away from the mountain?

Could it be that the bronze tripod was hidden in Quancheng the whole time, and they deliberately created the illusion of a bronze tripod appearing in Dao City and returning to the island nation via Dao City just to successfully smuggle the bronze tripod out of the country? And after attracting the attention of most interested parties, they would then quietly transport the bronze tripod out of Quancheng and return to the island nation via a different route?

Very possible.

Zhang Zhiyang had previously captured Sun Hailu alive, thereby obtaining a lot of intelligence related to the Japanese invaders and the bronze tripod, and he never gave up on searching for the bronze tripod. This must have made the Japanese invaders feel pressured, forcing them to stay hidden in Quancheng.

But staying hidden forever isn't a long-term solution; sooner or later, they might be discovered by Zhang Zhiyang's people.

Therefore, they came up with a plan to lure the tiger away from the mountain to draw Zhang Zhiyang's people away, and then quietly leave Quancheng with the bronze tripod.

This makes perfect sense.

And it can be considered an open conspiracy; after creating the illusion of the bronze tripod in Dao City, even if the Bureau of Religious Affairs had doubts, they had no choice but to send people over to maintain order.

In this way, the Bureau of Religious Affairs' control over Quancheng would decrease, and the defense line would develop loopholes, giving them the opportunity to leave Quancheng with that bronze tripod.

What a calculation!

There are experts among the Japanese invaders.

Han Jingyang sat up calmly, patted Liu Jing's wet thigh, gave her a look, and said to Zhang Zhiyang: "Give me the time, location, and people; I'll go take them out."

Zhang Zhiyang said: "I have people watching them, and I can provide you with real-time information and necessary assistance."

"Heh, has the sun risen from the west?"

"When dealing with the Japanese invaders, we make no distinction between us and work together."

"Fine, I'll give you credit for that. I'm leaving immediately."

"Be fast, the Japanese invaders have already set off."

"Already set off?"

"Yes, just received news. They left a holiday villa at the foot of Thousand Buddha Mountain and split into two teams heading west."

"Two teams? Both heading west?"

"Yes, one after the other. One took the expressway, and one took the national highway, but the direction is the same."

Heading west?

Taking the expressway and national highway separately?

Where is their destination?

Han Jingyang opened the map and took a look, but couldn't make heads or tails of it, because Quancheng's geographical location is too unique. Heading west leads to the hinterland of the Central Plains, which is accessible from all directions and can reach any city across the country. They could even take a slight detour, turn back east, and head straight to the eastern coastline to return to the island nation by waterway.

Must not let the Japanese invaders return to the island nation.

Must intercept them before the Japanese invaders leave the country.

Even if that bronze tripod isn't his, he must never let the Japanese invaders take it out of the country.

If such a good item really falls into the hands of the Japanese invaders, wanting to get it back would only be possible on the day when horses trample Tokyo.

That day is too far away.

Besides, the ownership of the bronze tripod is in his hands; for public, private, emotional, and logical reasons, it must be snatched back!

Thinking of this, he immediately got out of bed: "That's all for now. I'll wash up briefly and leave immediately. You keep a close eye on them. If you can't even keep track of people on your own turf, Old Zhang, I'll really look down on you."

Zhang Zhiyang was full of confidence: "We might be lacking a bit in fighting and killing, but tailing and Tracking are not a problem. Try to leave in five minutes; I'll help you clear the way by then."

Three minutes later.

Han Jingyang and Liu Jing went out.

This time, he drove himself, and while driving, he turned his head and asked: "Does it still hurt? Is it convenient to fight?"

Liu Jing blushed and shook her head: "It's not a big problem."

"This time I'll take the lead; you just help me watch the flanks."

"It's okay..."

"Listen to me!"

"Oh."

Green lights all the way.

Leaving the city, chasing along the national highway.

Zhang Zhiyang divided the Japanese invaders' two convoys into teams A and B.

Team A took the national highway, with three cars and eight people.

Team B took the expressway, with two cars and four people.

The problem now is that Zhang Zhiyang doesn't know the true purpose of the Japanese invaders; he only knows that they first gathered at the foot of Thousand Buddha Mountain and suddenly split into two teams to break through westward.

Zhang Zhiyang's goal is simple: no matter what the Japanese invaders want to do or have done, just kill or capture these Japanese invaders.

Han Jingyang only guessed that the bronze tripod passed down by Yang Luchan might be in the hands of this group of Japanese invaders, and no matter how high the accuracy of the guess is, it's still just a guess.

So, he didn't tell Zhang Zhiyang about this.

Instead, he directly chose to chase Team A of the Japanese invaders because this group has more people, eight in total, which is twice that of Team B.

It's a choice between two, without so many fancy possibilities; if they aren't here, they are there, and it's the same regardless of which one you choose.

So, Han Jingyang drove straight to chase Team A of the Japanese invaders on the national highway.

While driving, he received information sent by Zhang Zhiyang, all of which was relevant intelligence that Zhang Zhiyang had just collected through the Sky Eye and other intelligence systems.

The road conditions on the national highway were poor, with many cars and people. When passing through residential areas, there would even be traffic jams, making it impossible to increase speed. The distance to the Japanese invaders in front grew further and further, slowly stretching from about ten kilometers at the beginning to twenty kilometers, or even further.

What to do?

Watch the Japanese invaders leave?

9:40 AM.

Zhang Zhiyang sent another message: "Team A has entered the territory of Liaocheng, about 24 kilometers away from you."

Han Jingyang glanced at the increasing number of trucks, cars, tricycles, electric scooters, and even bicycles on the road, suppressing the irritation in his heart: "Can't you find a way to stall for time?"

Zhang Zhiyang refused directly: "When dealing with these Japanese invaders, it must be a one-hit kill. Otherwise, they will choose to perish together in a desperate situation and will drag nearby residents and passersby down with them. So, before you arrive, we absolutely cannot alert the enemy."

Han Jingyang's heart sank.

If that's the case, the Japanese invaders are even harder to deal with.

A group of Japanese invaders crazily seeking death fighting back before dying would cause great casualties, which is something he doesn't want to see.

Which is more important, a bronze artifact or a few or even dozens of lives of his countrymen?

He can't measure it.

But he will absolutely not sacrifice others to achieve his own goals.

If there really is someone who must be sacrificed, he would be the first to stand up, rather than hiding in the back and tricking others into sacrificing themselves.

Moreover, it is far from the point where someone must be sacrificed.

Han Jingyang stabilized his emotions, and just as he was about to say a few words to Zhang Zhiyang, a jade pendant on his chest suddenly became hot, pressing against his chest like a red-hot branding iron.

This is... a warning!

Not good!

There is danger!

Extremely dangerous!