149: Chapter 14.9 A New Journey

The New Fourth Army's efforts to make him stay were sincere.

Wang Zhenshan guaranteed with a pat to his chest that as long as Chen Xi was willing to stay, he would be the instructor for the entire River Defense Force and would be given whatever he asked for.

The rescued experts and scholars viewed him as their benefactor, checking on him daily with concern.

But Chen Xi knew this was not his final destination.

After politely declining Wang Zhenshan's good intentions once again, he finally obtained what he needed.

A hand-drawn map leading to the Taihang Mountains region.

As well as the most experienced old scout to serve as his guide for the first leg of his journey.

The guide's surname was Liu. He was in his early fifties, his dark face etched with the marks of weathering, yet his eyes were as sharp as a hawk's.

The day of departure was a gloomy morning.

Wang Zhenshan personally saw him off to the village entrance and shoved a heavy package into his hands.

Inside were roasted wheat flour and several pieces of air-dried cured meat.

"Comrade Chen Xi, I leave the road ahead to you."

Wang Zhenshan gripped his hand tightly. The tower-like man's eyes were slightly red.

"When you get there, give my regards to the commanders at headquarters!"

Chen Xi nodded.

There were no excessive words.

He turned around and followed Guide Liu into the wilderness shrouded in thin mist.

The figures of the two men soon disappeared into the hazy morning fog.

The hardships of the journey exceeded Chen Xi's expectations.

They needed to constantly cross the Japanese Army's blockade lines.

Railways, highways, and even waterways under the control of the Japanese Army.

During the day, they hid in mass graves or abandoned village houses to rest.

At night, they would continue their journey under the cover of darkness.

Along the way, Chen Xi saw the true face of the enemy-occupied areas with his own eyes.

The Japanese Army patrols roamed the countryside like wild dogs.

The puppet Soldiers in their khaki uniforms were even more vicious than their masters, sucking the marrow from the bones of their own countrymen.

He saw commoners who had starved to death lying by the roadside, their emaciated bodies covered in crows.

He saw that in the villages, all young women had blackened their faces with pot ash, their eyes filled with terror and numbness.

This was another world, completely different from the base areas.

A world without hope, only despair and death.

Guide Liu walked silently in front; he had long since become accustomed to all of this.

Chen Xi followed behind him, equally silent.

But his hand gripping the handle of the 【weeding sickle】 had turned white at the knuckles from the force.

On the third night, they stopped in front of a railway culvert.

Guide Liu lay in the grass, observing carefully for a long time before lowering his voice to say.

"That's the Jinpu Line ahead. The Japanese patrols come through once an hour, so we have to wait."

Chen Xi did not speak.

He took the reconnaissance swarm, disguised as a 【Drone】 model, out of his system space.

A miniature mechanical dragonfly flew up silently and merged into the night.

Soon, all the scenery within several kilometers was presented on his retina in the form of a 3D model.

He saw the five-man Japanese Army patrol squad patrolling the tracks.

He saw a hidden puppet Soldier sentry post in the woods not far behind them.

"No more waiting."

Chen Xi's voice was calm.

Guide Liu was stunned for a moment. Just as he was about to dissuade him, he discovered that the young man beside him was gone.

He rubbed his eyes, thinking his vision had blurred.

But the living person who had just been standing next to him had simply vanished into thin air.

【Chameleon Cloak】.

Chen Xi's figure had completely merged with the darkness.

Like a true ghost, he silently circled behind the puppet Soldier sentry post.

These puppet Soldiers were huddled in the forest, cursing the weather and their Japanese masters in low voices while drinking a bottle of inferior liquor.

They had no idea that the Grim Reaper was already standing behind them.

Chen Xi did not use the 【scythe】.

He simply and cleanly snapped their necks.

Then, he turned his gaze toward the approaching Japanese Army patrol squad on the tracks.

He raised the 【slingshot】 in his hand.

There was no sound.

The Japanese Army corporal walking at the front jerked his head back suddenly. A small bloody hole appeared between his eyebrows, and he fell straight down.

His companions nearby were startled by this sudden turn of events.

They raised their guns in panic, scanning their surroundings vigilantly.

But there was nothing around them except the sound of the wind.

Another nearly inaudible soft sound rang out.

The second Soldier fell in response.

Fear instantly spread through the hearts of the remaining three men.

Back to back, they held their guns, trembling all over, as if being toyed with by an invisible Grim Reaper.

Chen Xi did not give them another chance.

He appeared from the darkness like a phantom.

The 【weeding sickle】 in his hand traced three cold, lethal arcs.

Three heads flew into the air.

Blood stained the cold railway tracks red.

After finishing all this, he returned to Guide Liu's side.

Guide Liu looked at him as if looking at a monster.

His mouth hung open for a long time before he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence.

"Are... are you human or a ghost?"

Chen Xi did not explain.

He just said calmly, "Let's go, it's safe now."

Guide Liu followed silently behind him, the awe in his eyes growing deeper and deeper.

They walked for another four days.

They finally entered a continuous expanse of deep mountains.

Guide Liu stopped in front of a hidden cave.

He took a hand-drawn map wrapped in oilcloth from his bosom and handed it to Chen Xi.

"Comrade Chen Xi, my mission ends here."

His voice carried a hint of reluctance.

"Once you cross that mountain ahead, you will enter the territory of the Taihang Mountains. You must walk the rest of the way by yourself."

"On the map, I have marked the direction of the Eighth Route Army headquarters for you, as well as several secret contact points along the way."

Chen Xi took the map solemnly.

"Guide Liu, thank you."

"Take care."

Guide Liu nodded, looked at him deeply, then turned and disappeared into the mountain path they had come from.

In the cave, only Chen Xi remained.

Alone, he took firm steps toward the towering Taihang Mountains, which appeared infinitely distant and mysterious on the map.