Chapter 348 - 235: Burning the Turtles

Chapter 348: Chapter 235: Burning the Turtles

Li Dawei picked up the submachine gun from the man he had taken down. He quickly checked the magazine; it was fully loaded. It was standard military-grade equipment, but a model he’d never seen before. He studied it for a moment before figuring out how to use it.

Zhao Wendong crouched in the shadows, staring at the house with its tightly shut door. From inside, he could occasionally hear a few sentences of incomprehensible gibberish. The tone was urgent; they were clearly discussing a plan. Zhao Wendong instinctively glanced at Jin Xiuying beside him. She leaned close to his ear and whispered, "They don’t know who we are. They’re trying to figure out our background and how many of us there are."

As soon as she finished speaking, a voice speaking stilted Dragon Country language came from the house. "Who are you? Why are you attacking us? This is a misunderstanding!"

Zhao Wendong sneered and ignored the people in the house. ’They’ve already opened fire and killed someone, and they’re calling it a misunderstanding? What a load of crap.’ He turned his head to look at Zhao Ergou.

"Er Gou, are the torches ready?"

"Ready, Brother San!"

After speaking, Zhao Ergou stepped forward with several short militiamen. Each held a torch made of a stick wrapped in rags and dipped in pine oil. The flames crackled in the night wind.

Zhao Wendong raised his hand and waved. "Light it up!"

The men nodded and crept along the base of the wall, stooping low. The rest of the group provided cover, their eyes trained nervously on the door and windows, ready to open fire the instant anyone emerged.

WHOOSH—!

The torches were thrown onto the corn stalks piled up against the wall. The winter stalks were bone-dry and caught fire instantly. The flames ignited in several places at once, spreading fiercely and rapidly, and in an instant, the entire exterior of the house was encircled by a wall of fire.

Angry shouts erupted from inside the house, followed by the sound of a window being smashed open with a rifle butt. A spray of bullets swept outside.

"Take cover!"

The militiamen were already prone. The bullets kicked up sprays of snow, not even touching a single person.

’Save your bullets,’ Zhao Wendong muttered. He wasn’t in a hurry. He and his men simply continued to surround the house and wait.

The fire grew stronger, and the thick smoke from the corn stalks poured into the house. A chorus of coughing came from within, followed by a few more gunshots, fired erratically. They were clearly panicking. Constant shouts came from inside, which Jin Xiuying quietly translated for Zhao Wendong. Zhao Wenwu stood on the other side, making sure no one could overhear the quiet exchange between his wife and Wendong.

The firelight flickered on Zhao Wenwu’s face. He watched the blaze and rubbed his hands together in excitement. "Brother San, smoking out these bastards is fun."

"Heh, the fire hasn’t even reached the beams yet. Once the beams catch, if they don’t come out, they’ll suffocate to death inside. So, in a little while, the bastards will have to run out!"

Just as Zhao Wendong predicted, smoke began to rise from the roof after about ten more minutes. The wooden roof beams of the adobe house couldn’t withstand the flames. The temperature inside had become unbearable, and with the constant influx of thick smoke, the people trapped inside would surely die if they didn’t come out. Anyone in that situation would risk a desperate escape. Finally, a loud shout was heard from within, and several people simultaneously leaped out from the door and windows.

"They’re coming out! Fire!"

Zhao Wendong raised his gun and fired, immediately dropping the first person who burst through the door. Bathed in the firelight, the enemies were in the open while the militia was hidden in the darkness, giving them a complete advantage. The men who rushed out were firing their guns wildly, but they couldn’t see where Zhao Wendong and his group were at all. Their bullets all went wide of the mark.

RAT-TAT-TAT—!

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The gunfire roared. Inside the warehouse, the captive villagers looked at each other, their faces filled with suspicion. In the middle of the crowd, Elder Master Teng leaned on his cane, protected by those around him. He stared blankly into the distance, listening to the gunshots outside, lost in thought.

The militiamen unleashed a volley, firing with everything they had. The men who rushed out were killed on the spot. Seeing some of his own men getting restless, Zhao Wendong quickly roared an order.

"Nobody move! Stay hidden and keep aiming! Safety first!"

Sure enough, a moment later, two more men clambered out of a window. Smoke was rising from their bodies, and their cotton-padded jackets were on fire. They only managed a few steps before they were cut down by another hail of gunfire. After this round of shots, the entire scene fell silent, leaving only the crackling of the burning house.

After waiting for another ten minutes to be certain no one else was left, Zhao Wendong and Li Dawei cautiously advanced with their guns raised to inspect the scene. Only after confirming that all enemies had been eliminated did they finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Brother Li, how many?"

"Counting the one I took out, that’s nine in total. They’re all here. Not one got away. It’s the right number for one of their squads."

Li Dawei’s voice was filled with viciousness. He was truly filled with hatred. Earlier, when he had snuck into the village to scout, he had seen the dead villager lying on the ground in front of the warehouse. The man was in his thirties, the pillar of his family. Now his back was riddled with bloody holes. It was a horrible death. ’What will his family do now?’

"Everyone else, stay on alert. Brother Li, come with me. Let’s free the villagers."

Zhao Wendong led his men to the front of the warehouse. They first moved the body of the murdered villager to the side. Li Dawei then pulled open the large bolt on the warehouse doors.

As the door opened, it revealed a dense crowd of people inside. Old and young, men and women, all huddled together with terrified expressions. Many women and children were crying, while the men stared warily at Zhao Wendong and his group.

"Folks, don’t be afraid! You can come out now! We’ve taken care of them!"

Zhao Wendong shouted to the people inside. They looked at his attire and heard his authentic local accent, and a stir went through the crowd.

The people inside were stunned at first. Then, a bolder man peeked his head out. He saw the large group of people standing outside carrying guns, and then the house still burning in the distance. He stared blankly for several seconds before it all sank in.