Chapter 96

After a while, the little boss led a few brothers, drenched in sweat, pushing out the Type 92 infantry gun and carrying a box of shells. The fat man beckoned to the little boss with his fingers, signaling him to come over.

The little boss, seeing this, ran over with a smile and asked, "Sir, what do you need?"

"Mr. Fat wants to ask you, what did you eat for breakfast this morning?" The fat man wanted to verify if Uncle Biao, the miser, had only given Wang Yi special treatment.

"Isn't the old miser's breakfast always the same three things: rice porridge, cornbread, and pickles?" The little boss was a bit stunned, looking at the fat man in surprise, not understanding why he was asking this.

"Alright, here, take this and distribute it to the brothers. I'll be waiting for you at the training ground in a bit." The fat man took out a pack of Da Qianmen cigarettes from his pocket and threw it to the little boss.

"Oh, thank you, sir, thank you, sir..." The little boss immediately beamed with joy, thinking how good this fat man was. Usually, when they were asked to do something or help out, they wouldn't get anything in return. This man was different; he looked kind and benevolent, a real good person.

The fat man waved his hand, not bothering to acknowledge the bandits' gratitude, and walked directly to the training ground at the front of the mountain. These bandits were dragging the Type 92 infantry gun too slowly, and he couldn't wait.

When he returned to the small pavilion, he saw Colonel Ma and the Eighth Route Army soldiers waiting for him. Chen, Zhao Lao San, and the driver were all worried, while Colonel Ma, Little Li, and Lei Dabiao, though chatting and laughing, had a hint of anxiety on their faces, forming a stark contrast.

Colonel Ma saw him from a distance and walked over, offering him a cigarette and then whispered, "This morning, I found that Song Ming didn't return all night. Did you, big brother, ... take care of him?"

As he said this, he made a slicing motion with his hand.

Chen, Zhao Lao San, and the driver, who were watching from a distance, were all worried. The fat man took the cigarette, intending to tell the truth, but seeing how tense the Eighth Route Army soldiers were, he decided to tease them a bit and loudly replied, "That kid was too arrogant, Mr. Fat took care of him!"

"Ah!" Colonel Ma was taken aback, his face full of panic. He thought, "This is bad, Song Ming is an Eighth Route Army soldier, and you just took care of him without any regard for us. Do you think the Eighth Route Army is made of clay? I can't protect you, and then I'll be in trouble on both sides. What should I do?"

"Look at your cowardly face, isn't it just that Mr. Fat took care of one of your Eighth Route Army soldiers?" The fat man, of course, knew the consequences of killing an Eighth Route Army soldier, but he wanted to give these guys a scare. He had something even more shocking to show them later, so it was good to prepare them mentally.

"Did you really take care of Song Ming?" Colonel Ma's face was full of pain and sorrow. This was a person he had chosen, and now he was harming an Eighth Route Army soldier with such a matter-of-fact attitude. Wasn't this asking for trouble? The entire division had two brigades and six regiments, plus his independent regiment, totaling about ten thousand people. He knew what the fat man would face.

"Took care of him!" The fat man admitted, he had drugged Song Ming and taken his shoes.

"Bandit, I, Zhao Lao San, will avenge my comrade!" Zhao Lao San was the first to step forward, pulling out his gun and preparing to shoot.

Jia Daode and Sai Laohu, who were present, saw someone daring to pull a gun and threaten the fat man. They couldn't let this happen, so they blocked Zhao Lao San from both sides, using their bodies to shield the fat man from Zhao Lao San's line of fire, and simultaneously drew their guns at Zhao Lao San.

Chen, seeing this, sighed and also drew his gun. After a day of interaction, although he was impressed by the fat man, the fat man killing an Eighth Route Army soldier was a matter of principle, and he had to stand up for it.

"I'm just a driver." The driver was worried; if a real fight broke out, a burst of gunfire would leave no one alive.

The monkeys and the bandits, who were practicing their drills, saw that the boss and the son-in-law were facing off against the Eighth Route Army. They stopped their drills, loaded their rifles, and rushed over.

The sound of loading rifles and shouting mixed together, and a hundred or so bandits surrounded the Eighth Route Army soldiers in three layers inside and three layers outside, all aiming their guns at the Eighth Route Army. As soon as anyone fired, it would turn into a bloody battle.

Colonel Ma was stunned, not knowing what to do. If he drew his gun, he would offend the fat man; if he didn't, he would violate discipline. He wasn't stupid and knew that the situation was about to explode, and drawing his gun wouldn't help. He could only try to persuade them, one by one, and accept whatever happened.

"Don't shoot, don't shoot, we haven't figured out what happened yet, we haven't figured it out yet!" Colonel Ma, with a pained expression, signaled to Little Li and Lei Dabiao, who were also stunned. Little Li, being quick-witted, saw the situation and joined Colonel Ma in trying to stop the fight.

Lei Dabiao, although a bit slow, had a strength: he did whatever Colonel Ma did. So he also spread his arms to try to stop the fight, but he was not good with words, so he just repeated what Colonel Ma said: "Don't shoot, don't shoot..."

The fat man didn't expect his words to cause such a commotion, and it made him feel a chill. He smiled, thinking that even in times of national crisis, the factional disputes among the Chinese were easily ignited. Well, being a bandit was more comfortable for Mr. Fat.

Of course, he wouldn't let the situation get out of control. Just as he was about to speak, he heard a thunderous shout.

"You damn fat man, give me back my shoes!" Song Ming's scream instantly silenced the tense standoff.

Colonel Ma and the Eighth Route Army soldiers, seeing Song Ming, were stunned, their expressions varying from shock to disbelief.

The bandits, seeing the two turtles mating on Song Ming's face, which moved as he spoke, burst into laughter, unable to hold their guns steady.

Song Ming saw the fat man in the middle, used the railing for support, and with a few quick steps, leaped over the railing and rushed to the fat man. His expression and eyes hardened, and he extended his hand, turning his head away without looking at the fat man, and said, "I lost, give me back my shoes!"

The fat man saw the two turtles on Song Ming's face move as he spoke, finding it quite amusing.

He actually liked Song Ming, even though he had won dishonorably with a sleeping powder. But since he had won, and Song Ming could accept it and admit his loss, the fat man thought Song Ming was much better than Zhao Lao San.

"Want to get your cloth shoes back? It's not impossible." The fat man smiled.

"What do you want?" Song Ming, hearing the fat man's words, asked.

"Nothing much, just that you know your place and understand the bigger picture, and complete the task." Although they had only exchanged a few words, the fat man could see that Song Ming was different from Zhao Lao San and hoped he would understand.

Being a bandit meant being independent, which was both a strength and a weakness. The fat man needed to remind him of this.