I Overhear Animals' Thoughts to Feed My Family

Chapter 209: Chapter 191: Catching Spies (3)

”Listen. The last time the old regional chief visited, it was right when that elder was gifting his calligraphy. Afterward, Li Guangming was determined to have been targeted by enemy agents in retaliation. That’s why our county and the entire region launched an operation to purge those agents. This investigation actually turned some up, and that’s what led to this current situation. So, you tell me—does this have anything to do with you or not?”

Zhao Wendong fell silent. ’If he puts it that way, then it really is related to me,’ he thought. He figured the two spies must be fuming too, wondering how things had suddenly tightened up and led to their exposure. After they joked around for a while longer, just as Jiang Weimin began to check his watch frequently, the cry of an eagle echoed from the sky. Zhao Wendong’s spirits soared. ’Xiaojin is back.’

Xiaojin’s massive form swooped down, landing steadily on Zhao Wendong’s shoulder. It nuzzled its head against his cheek.

’Found them.’

Zhao Wendong happily patted the eagle, pulling out two strips of dried fish to reward Xiaojin handsomely. Then he turned and shouted to all the men watching him.

”Prepare to move out!”

RUMBLE—!

Over a hundred men began stomping their feet and readying their gear in unison. For a moment, the very ground seemed to tremble.

”Xiaojin, lead the way!”

Zhao Wendong sent Xiaojin back into the sky. The eagle was a natural at leading the way. After circling a few times, it shot off toward Dahei Mountain, then began to circle again a short distance ahead, waiting for the men to catch up.

Seeing Xiaojin in action, Director Tang’s confidence surged. He pointed excitedly at the sky and said to Wei Dongliang,

”Comrade Dongliang, look! That eagle really seems to be leading the way!”

”Yes!”

Wei Dongliang’s eyes were also shining with excitement as he clicked his tongue in amazement.

Soon, the large contingent of men began their advance into Dahei Mountain, led by Xiaojin and following Zhao Wendong. They marched for over two hours. When Zhao Wendong saw the eagle switch from circling to hovering in place, he immediately gave the order.

”Stay alert! We’re getting close!”

Upon receiving the command, every man chambered a round. The atmosphere grew tense. After advancing another few dozen meters, Zhao Wendong pulled out the piece of clothing and let Dahuang and the other dogs get a scent.

”Dahuang, Dahei, Erhei—scent!”

The three dogs gathered around, sniffing the garment several times. Finally, Dahuang looked up at Zhao Wendong, seeming a little uncertain.

’Master, are we looking for this person?’

”Haha, good dog! Dahuang, find him!”

Zhao Wendong excitedly stroked Dahuang’s head. With its mission clear, Dahuang led its two brothers and began searching the ground. It quickly locked onto a direction and started pulling Zhao Wendong and the men forward as they moved stealthily.

Meanwhile, Takaichi Koinu and Robe Sanae, two high-level Jap spies under orders to lie low in the Northeast, were perched leisurely in a pine tree, eating fried noodles with a side of snow.

”Mr. Takaichi, how exactly did you get exposed?”

”I have no idea, Ms. Robe. The purge started without any warning. Who would have thought that old woman next door, the one who was always smiling, would be the one to report me!”

”Mr. Takaichi, you were too careless. Look at the lives these Chinamen are living now. Yet you were still eating meat regularly, looking all healthy and well-fed. If they weren’t going to report you, who else would they report?”

The slightly taller Takaichi Koinu bristled at the criticism. He looked down at Robe Sanae, who was a full head shorter than him, and retorted resentfully.

”You’re one to talk, Ms. Robe. Weren’t you eating and drinking whatever you wanted, too?”

”Enough, enough. Stop arguing. What’s our plan? The army wouldn’t have just searched for a single day. They’re bound to come back in today to continue the search!”

”Heh heh, relax. They won’t last long. Every one of them is starving. How can they possibly keep up the chase? If they really have the guts to keep coming, we can use the skills we trained so hard to master and pick off a few more of them. We’ll see if they still dare to follow us then. This mountain range connects all the way to Beijiang Province. From there, we can cross into Maozi Country. The Maozi have had a falling out with Dongda, so we’ll be able to contact home from their territory.”

”Yoshi!”

Robe Sanae nodded happily. The reason they were left behind was that they were the most elite agents, exceptionally skilled at wilderness survival. The idea that Lord Dong’s ill-clothed and starving people could find them was pure fantasy.

Just as he was stuffing a handful of snow into his mouth, Takaichi Koinu suddenly froze. He stared at the distant forest, his eyes wide with disbelief.

”Damn it, Lord Dong’s men are closing in! Baka! How are they so fast today? It’s like they didn’t have to search at all—they’re heading straight for us.”

Robe Sanae quickly drew her pistol, looking in the direction Takaichi was staring. After a moment, she let out a cold smirk.

”There are some dogs up ahead. They must be army dogs that caught our scent. Looks like we got too complacent. I told you yesterday we should smear ourselves with animal droppings, but you refused. Just rubbing ourselves with tree bark isn’t enough to completely mask the smell.”

”I get it, Ms. Robe, you’re such a nag. We have it with us anyway. We can just warm it up in our clothes later and rub some on. Let’s go!”

The pair shot another glance at their pursuers, then slid swiftly down the tree and bolted into the distance.

From the sky, Xiaojin let out a sharp cry. On the ground, Dahuang and the other two dogs began barking furiously at something ahead. A jolt went through Zhao Wendong, and he yelled,

”Quick, charge ahead and see!”

The men began to sprint through the woods. After cresting a small hill, they spotted two figures fleeing in the distance. Zhao Wendong immediately raised his rifle and fired.

BANG! BANG! BANG!—

RAT-TAT-TAT!—

It wasn’t just Zhao Wendong. The moment the other men saw the two spies, they also opened fire without hesitation. These were the agents who had killed their comrades; there was no need for words, only bullets. Unfortunately, the distance was too great. The two spies weaved and dodged, and no shots connected before they vanished deep into the mountains.

Chen Baoguo and the other leading officers were ecstatic. Even though the spies had escaped for now, Zhao Wendong had proven he could pinpoint their location deep in the mountains. This gave them the confidence that they would eliminate the two agents soon.

”After them!”

Zhao Wendong wasted no words and tugged on Dahuang’s leash. But the dog wouldn’t budge. It was busy with Dahei and Erhei, furiously digging at the base of a pine tree. ’Did they find something?’ Zhao Wendong wondered. He leaned in for a closer look, and in the next second, a fresh turd was unearthed from the snow. Seeing Chen Baoguo and the other men trying to stifle their laughter, Zhao Wendong didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ’So much for my expert image!’

”Go, go, go! Get back to the chase! If any of you dare to touch that, you’re getting a thrashing!”

Zhao Wendong dragged the three dogs away. Dahuang barked a few times at Dahei and Erhei, and the two reluctantly followed him, resuming their pursuit of the spies.

’Hmph. When it really matters, Dahuang is still the one I can count on.’

Zhao Wendong had barely finished his praise when Dahuang’s thoughts echoed in his mind.

’Looks like Master doesn’t like it when we eat yummy things. We’ll just have to eat them in secret next time.’

Zhao Wendong: ...

’Fuck! Dahuang and the others have licked my face before!’