《Kali Yuga》Chapter 27. A Plan out of Eiji Yoshikawa's novel, Musashi.
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Huang Wen, Zhang Tian Yi, Chen Wu Xuang, Ma Heng, Liu Wang Yun and Tian Zhong were observing the small village where a group of criminal use it as their base from the top of a hill near that village.
"Hmm... they only guard the roads toward the village. We could easily sneak in through the bamboo forest or through the moor.", Huang Wen voiced his opinion.
"You're right but we must time it well, since there was two group who patrol the perimeter, just like those two said.", Chen Wu Xuang replied.
"Are we going to infiltrate their base and kill their leader? I felt we better do it at night if we're going to do that.", Tian Zhong asked.
Chen Wu Xuang apparently liked the idea but rather than voice his opinion, he turned to Huang Wen and asked, "Now, we've seen most of it. What's your opinion? Should we leave this village without doing anything?"
Zhang Tian Yi, Ma Heng, Liu Wang Yun and Tian Zhong turned their attention to Huang Wen. Everyone wanted to hear his opinion. Since they were sent to help Huang Wen to complete his mission, it would be better if Huang Wen's opinion was similar to their opinion. If it was the opposite then, it will put them in a dilemma. If they voice their opinion first and it happened that Huang Wen disagree with them, it will put Huang Wen in dilemma.
From the five of them, apparently Chen Wu Xuang and Tian Zhong had made their decision, it was shown on their face many times, how much they wanted to charge right now but decided to wait for a better moment and a better plan.
Zhang Tian Yi, Liu Wang Yun and Ma Heng were rather hard to read.
Ma Heng sometimes showed his feeling but he seemed decided to keep his opinion to himself. While Zhang Tian Yi and Liu Wang Yun, both kept their poker face. Perhaps their years of experience as a detective in the police department gave them the ability to completely control their expression.
As soon as Chen Wu Xuang asked, Huang Wen answered right away, without any hesitation, "No..., we need to do something for the villagers but I'm still thinking what would be the best way to do it. I began to feel that clear the village from these pests is not enough. After all there are many criminals out there. We kill the ones here. One day there will be another."
Chen Wu Xuang and the others seemed satisfied with Huang Wen answer, but now they began to think the problem that Huang Wen brought up.
After some silence Tian Zhong spoke, "How about this, after we killed the criminals, one of us will return to Fuzhou and inform Master Zhang Hu. The rest stay here and wait until reinforcement arrived. Either to bring them safely to Fuzhou and integrate with our group. Or guard this village while we continue our mission?"
"We should at least send three persons to inform Fuzhou, making the journey alone is a bit too risky.", said Liu Wang Yun.
"Yes, I guess that's right. How about that?", Tian Zhong agreed with Liu Wang Yun and now their attention returned to Huang Wen.
Huang Wen carefully spoke, "That's the first thing that came to my mind and I guess it would be the most rational option."
He paused for a while, the way Huang Wen said it, made people felt that he had another idea and as he paused, the other waited for him to continue curiously.
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Huang Wen seemed a bit hesitant before he continued, "Have anyone here read Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa?"
Zhang Tian Yi, Liu Wang Yun and Tian Zhong seemed a bit confused. While Zhang Tian Yi began to shake his head to tell that he never had the chance to read it. Chen Wu Xiang slapped his thigh.
"Ah..., that part about the villagers and the highlanders from the mountain?", he exclaimed.
Huang Wen smiled and nodded, "Yes, I was thinking about that."
"What about it?", Zhang Tian Yi grumbled since they hadn't explained it clearly.
Ma Heng answered, "In the novel, there was a time when there was a village who was attacked by a group of robbers from the mountain and Musashi helped them. Rather than simply fighting the robbers, he chose to help the villagers to realize that they have the power to fight against the robbers themselves. He incites their courage and together with Musashi, they manage to defend their village."
"Of course Musashi play a big part to ensure that the casualties among the villagers were minimal but at the same time, he showed them how to defend themselves if the same problem arises while he's not there.", Chen Wu Xuang added.
Zhang Tian Yi, Liu Wang Yun and Tian Zhong nodded their head like chicken pecking for corn.
"Hmm... If we can do that, that will be good, but how are we going to do that?", Zhang Tian Yi asked.
Since Huang Wen was the one who threw that idea, now everyone turned their attention to him. Huang Wen already thought a plan, he still unsure but the more he thought about it the surer he was, that was why after hesitated a bit, he decided to tell them about his idea.
"Tonight, I will secretly go to that village. I have the highest agility among us and I believe I can sneak in easily. After that, I will start to prepare the villagers, when I felt that the villagers are ready, I will send a signal and you guys could attack from the outside, create distraction. With your ability, you will draw many of their trusted men. That's when I'll lead the villagers to attack. Hopefully I could take down the leader while you guys take care his trusted subordinate at the outside and the villagers would attack their men who have no leader.", Huang Wen wasn't one hundred percent sure about his plan, however he thought about it for long and finally decided that it was worth to try.
When the other heard Huang Wen's plan, they looked at each other hesitatingly.
After a while Chen Wu Xuang turned to Huan Weng and asked, "Are you confident you could do it alone? Won't it be too dangerous, since no one will know if something bad happened to you."
"I understand but don't worry. I'm quite sure I can do that and as precaution, gave me three days. Succeed or not, whether I will leave that village in three days or you receive the sign we will discuss after this.", Huang Wen replied confidently.
His answer eased the doubt of the others, Zhang Tian Yi finally nodded and said, "Okay, let's give it a try. Now, what the signal would be?"
After everyone agreed with Huang Wen's plan, they began to discuss the detail of their plan. With veterans like Zhang Tian Yi and Liu Wang Yun among them, it was easier for them to come up with it. The one who had the key role of this plan was of course Huang Wen.
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They spent the rest of the day resting and observing the village. When the night came, Huang Wen quietly moved toward the village, through their observation they had mapped out the path to enter and leave the village safely. Throughout the day, Huang Wen had memorize and visualize it many times in his head but to actually moved upon that path in the dark night wasn't easy at all.
Now the closer he was toward the village, Huang Wen must move carefully, threading his path around the bushes and thistles, hiding behind trees or the tall grasses.
Before he made a move, he listened carefully and looked around. He made a decision for the next spot to reach. Only when he sure that it was safe, he moved quickly and quietly to the next spot.
Little by little, he was getting closer to the village. With his speed within less than an hour, he finally reached the village. Now he moved more carefully. The place he wanted to go was the residence of one of the villagers. Previously as they observe the village from the top of the hill, they saw an incident within the village. It seemed the gang took one of the villager's daughter or maybe a sister or wife. Anyway they saw a young woman dragged and an older man and woman try to save her.
With one slap the older woman fell to the ground. While the older man tried to fight back, he was easily beaten to the ground, they beat him until he couldn't stand and had to be carried back to his house.
Huang Wen decided to pay them a visit. He needed someone he can trust among the villagers and who was better than this man and woman?
From the top of the hill, they had confirmed their house and planned how to reach that house. Now he was already within the village. His destination was much closer now yet he must move more carefully than before. Not to mention that looking from afar and now as he was in the village itself, was a bit different. In that dark, every house, every corner seemed similar, he had to look hard for hints and find the direction.
It took less than an hour to arrive at the village, but it took more than an hour before he finally reached his destination.
He calmed his heart and carefully walked around the house until he found the window to their bedroom. He could faintly smell, the smell of Chinese medicines. Huang Wen put his ear on the wall and he could hear an old man sighed and quietly moaned in pained. Sometimes there was another sound of a woman sobbing.
'This must be it. This must be their room.', Huang Wen thought to himself.
Carefully he tapped lightly on the windows.
Huang Wen waited patiently, once in a while, he would tap on the windows and put his ear on the wall to see if there was any reaction. He didn't want to scare them. Although it might take a long time for them to notice and finally opened the window for him, he was willing to wait.
Seconds felt like minutes and minutes like hours, but he waited patiently. Once and a while his hand flashed to snap at the mosquito. Once and a while, he had to leave that post and hid as a group of patrol passed by.
Huang Wen never lost his patience and after who knows how long, when he tapped the windows and put his ear on the wall, he could hear the old man said something.
"...Someone was tapping the window?", the woman said, there were hints of fear in her voice.
"...", the man said something, his voice was too small to hear, apparently he was in intense pain.
Now Huang Wen relieved, he patiently tapped the windows and waited.
"...You're right, if he was one of them then he won't knock the window, they'll just barge through the door. Perhaps... one of our neighbours?... what should I do?", Huang Wen heard the woman asked.
"..."
"Are you sure?", she asked for the second time.
"..."
Now Huang Wen could hear a foot step and he prepared to show himself. Huang Wen looked around for patrols but no one else in sight. He watched the window opened in anticipation.
The window opened a little and from the inside the woman whispered, "Who's there?"
"I'm a friend, let me in. I can help.", Huang Wen whispered.
"Hurry... otherwise a patrol might catch me here.", he whispered again.
There was a moment of pause but a few seconds later the window opened wider. With his sharp eyes, Huang Wen could see the woman moved aside to give him a space. He didn't waste more time and quickly he jumped in through the window.
He moved so fast that the woman gasped in shock.
"Shhh...", Huang Wen shushed her and quickly closed the door back.
Only then he began to look around. On the bed there was a middle aged man laying. His body was full of bruises. His face showed lots of pain, but there was a gleam of hope flashed on his eyes as he watched Huang Wen intently. The other person in that room was a middle aged woman who hurriedly walked toward the middle aged man and watched Huang Wen with a mixed feeling of hope and fear.
Huang Wen greeted them politely and explained with low voice, "Greeting, my name is Huang Wen, me and my friend came from Lei Jiang. We just passed through this village to Nan An, to look for our family."
As the couple now had the time to look at him, the fear in their heart slowly dissipated. Huang Wen was young and polite. They didn't see the rough and cruel expression from him.
"This is my husband, Yao Ming. I'm Chen Xiu Min, his wife. You said you're on your way to Nan An, so what are you doing here at night, secretly knocking on our window? And where are your friends?", Chen Xiu Min who no longer scared, asked.
"We met with a group of thugs who tried to rob us, but we managed to defeat them and interrogate them. That's how we know about this village. We decided that we can't go on our journey just like that. We decided to take a look and see if we can do any help. Today, we're observing this village from the top of that hill, north of this village. We saw about what happened to you. That's why I came here. I want to talk with you, to know more about what happened here. My friends still wait at that hill.", Huang Wen explained carefully.
Suddenly Yao Ming tried to get down from his bed with tears on his face, along with Chen Xiu Min his wife, they moved to kneel in front of Huang Wen and begged, "Please, help us to save our daughter."
Huang Wen hastily reached them and prevented them from kneeling, "Stay..., stays on your bed. Okay don't worry. We've seen it today and that's our plan but first, we needed to know more about the situation here."
Yao Ming shook his head stubbornly, "You need to hurry, they took little Ying... oh god, who knows what happened to her... we can't waste time here... you need to hurry."
Huang Wen sighed and slowly shook his head.
He spoke to them seriously, "Please, think carefully and calmly. If we make a move in haste without good and solid plan, not only we're going to fail. Even the life of your daughter would be in danger."
"... but... but... but they, they're going to...", Yao Ming with broken voices tried to plead.
Huang Wen shook his head, "I know... you don't need to say it. Since that day, I've seen many things, we could guess even if it just a bit... you're the head of the family, you're the man of this house. If you can't think rationally, then who will protect your wife and your daughter?"
"I can't say that I know how you feel, but I'm also a man and believe me when I say I can imagine how you feel. I will help your daughter. In fact I want to help the whole village but we need a plan, and we have a plan.", Huang Wen sincerely replied.
For a moment Yao Ming and his wife were sobbing. Of course, they understood but their heart couldn't. Huang Wen patiently waited.
"What's your plan?", after he calmed down, Yao Ming asked.
Huang Wen explained their plan carefully, he told them that his friends were ready to create distraction and at the same time, the villagers needed to attack the criminals from within but before they could give the signal, first they need to ensure that all the children and women are safe.
Yao Ming didn't say anything for a while before he asked, "How many of your friends out there?"
"Five, there are only six of us that's why we need all the villagers to work together with us.", Huang Wen answered.
Yao Ming eyes dimmed, "Five... ah... there are at least a hundred of them... you said you beat a group of them, I thought you have many people..."
Huang Wen replied, "There are only six of us, but we actually defeat 30 of them, 28 were killed, two of them survived but that's because we let them live, so we can interrogate them."
A bit of hope returned to Yao Ming's eyes,"... are you... are you and your friends... a mutant? Like their leaders?"
"A mutant?", this was his first time to hear that phrase.
"Yes, a mutant, people whose supra natural power was awakened during the changes. We, villagers thought it was like that X-Men movies.", Yao Ming answered.
Huang Wen thought to himself, 'So that's how they call people who level up and this man, the leader of this criminals, made people think that it was something special.'
"If I do have a special power, then what?", Huang Wen asked.
Yao Ming now believed that this man before him was one of the mutant but the good one. Suddenly he didn't feel any pain.
"Then... then if you're willing to help us, we will fight. Previously when they first came, we tried to fight but their leaders, they have extra ordinary power. We can't do nothing about it. Fight against them is nothing but suicide... we lost our will to fight.... but if you... if you and your friends lead us.... yes... if you help us with your power. I tell you, none of us are cowards. It just that we see no hope to win.", Yao Ming explained, gradually he regained his spirit.
"We will help, we will definitely help but there is something you need to know.", Huang Wen mysteriously smiled.
He then explained everything about the stat, about the strength they gained from killing zombies, how it would make them stronger and faster, how a skill book will give them special power and every thing else and Yao Ming's chest filled with hope.
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