After thinking for a moment, Wang An said to Zhang Shuya
"Shouldn't we call my Brother Wang and Brother Wu and the others for this?"
Hearing this, Zhang Shuya gave Wang An a meaningful smile, patted his shoulder again, and said
"You're quite the tactician, aren't you? You don't want to leave anyone out."
Wang An immediately replied with righteous confidence
"Of course! We're old friends. I've known them longer than I've known you, so I definitely have to think of them."
Seeing that Wang An wasn't pretending or acting fake in the slightest, Zhang Shuya stopped dwelling on the matter and turned to him.
"Alright then. No time to lose, let's head over now."
Upon hearing this, Wang An hurried to stop her
"Big Sister, it'll be just as timely if we go tomorrow. From the county seat to that Stone Mountain, it's over ninety li. By the time we get there, it'll be dark."
Zhang Shuya couldn't help but stop in her tracks, saying with some concern
"I'm afraid that if they're dead, they'll be useless."
Although Wang An was also worried, he wasn't worried about that, but rather about the "captured prisoners."
Because Wang An believed that those Japanese soldiers certainly wouldn't be dead; at the very least, they definitely wouldn't have starved to death.
One had to realize that every single one of those soldiers carried a wicker basket on their back, and the contents of those baskets would certainly include weapons and food.
So, subconsciously, Wang An brought up the issue of the "captured prisoners."
After listening, Zhang Shuya spoke with great dominance
"The 'captured prisoners' must be treated well, but spies cannot be. By engaging in espionage under the identity of 'captured prisoners,' they'll never be able to go back in this lifetime. Humph."
It had to be said that Zhang Shuya's words were indeed firm, which instantly removed any worry Wang An had.
After she finished speaking, Zhang Shuya suddenly looked at Wang An with a half-smile and said
"Not bad, little brother. You actually know about these things. It seems I've really underestimated you."
Wang An put on a blank expression and said with a grin
"What are you talking about, Big Sister? Are you praising me?"
Looking at Wang An's big face, Zhang Shuya gave him an exasperated roll of her eyes and said
"I've just realized you're really good at playing dumb. Now tell me, why didn't you just kill them? Was it because you didn't want to, or because you didn't dare to?"
It had to be said that although this woman, Zhang Shuya, had a baby face and looked incredibly cute and naive, she spoke her mind plainly; this woman was actually not simple at all.
Hearing this, Wang An chuckled and didn't answer, instead changing the subject directly
"Let's head to Brother Wu's place first so they can get prepared."
Zhang Shuya rolled her eyes at him again, but she didn't press the issue. Looking at Wang An's large horse, she said
"You ride ahead first; I'll drive and follow shortly."
Hearing that Zhang Shuya was going to drive, Wang An nodded: "Alright, then drive slowly, Big Sister."
As he spoke, Wang An vaulted onto the horse and headed toward Wu Dong's house.
Before Wang An had gone far, he heard the "put-put-put-put" sound of a motorcycle, unique to this era, coming from behind him.
The reason motorcycles of this era sounded different from those of later generations was that their engines were different.
Furthermore, motorcycles of this era burned a mixed fuel similar to that used in chainsaws, whereas later motorcycles burned pure gasoline.
At this time, a motorcycle was a rarer sight than a four-wheeled car or a tractor, because not only were they basically non-existent for private citizens, but even for the government, motorcycles weren't very common.
However, Wang An knew that as the wave of commercialization grew, motorcycles would soon spread across all of China.
Wang An instinctively looked back and nearly popped his eyes out.
Because the person riding the motorcycle was none other than Zhang Shuya, and the motorcycle she was riding wasn't a two-wheeler, but a three-wheeled sidecar.
It was the most classic model, the Chang Jiang 750 sidecar.
It had to be said that this vehicle was absolutely every man's favorite; mainly because this thing was just too damn cool.
The rugged, dominant lines, the teardrop-shaped fuel tank, the straight handlebars, the unique and wild sound... every bit of it attracted the eyes of every man and young girl.
Seeing Wang An, Zhang Shuya instinctively slowed down, while Wang An stared at the motorcycle with burning eyes, as if his eyeballs were about to be embedded in the machine.
Memories from his previous life slowly returned to Wang An...
Consequently, Wang An shouted directly
"Big Sister, stop the car! Stop the car!"
Confused, Zhang Shuya instinctively squeezed the clutch and slammed on the brake to bring the vehicle to a halt.
Wang An also yanked the reins and gave a shout of "Hah!"
Wang An quickly flipped off the horse and rushed to Zhang Shuya's side, saying with a flattering, grinning face
"Big Sister, let's swap! You ride the horse, and let me take this sidecar for a spin."
Zhang Shuya was momentarily stunned by Wang An's words. Once she recovered, she couldn't help but laugh
"If I give you this sidecar, can you even drive it?"
Wang An really wanted to tell Zhang Shuya that forget a sidecar with only five gears including reverse, even if it were a manual shift with no power assistance, he could still handle it with ease.
Unfortunately, Wang An didn't dare say those words out loud, so he said nonchalantly
"I can drive four-wheelers, what's so hard about this thing? Just point out which one is the clutch, which is the gear, and which is the brake. Don't worry, Big Sister, I can handle it."
To be honest, people of this era had no concept of "dangerous driving"; mainly because "car accidents" were things one rarely heard about.
And it wasn't wrong to say they were rarely heard of; after all, motor vehicles were so rare, how could car accidents possibly happen?
Hearing this, Zhang Shuya looked at Wang An with some suspicion, then shifted out of gear and began explaining the various controls on the motorcycle.
Wang An listened to Zhang Shuya's explanation distractedly, while his hands began to fumble and feel the motorcycle. He hadn't ridden one of these things in over 30 years; he really had missed it.
As soon as Zhang Shuya finished speaking, Wang An impatiently handed the reins to her and urged
"Alright, Big Sister, I've got it. Hurry up and get off."
As Zhang Shuya got off the bike, she said
"Give it gas slowly at first. If it doesn't work, just hit the brake."
Wang An climbed onto the motorcycle and smiled
"Got it, Big Sister. Don't worry. You guys chat first, and I'll take a lap before coming back. Oh, and don't lose those medicines hanging on the saddle."
The moment Wang An finished speaking, he skillfully squeezed the clutch, shifted gears, and twisted the throttle. The sidecar shot forward.
It must be said that a "slingshot start" like that was something an average person truly wouldn't know how to do.
Watching Wang An's exceptionally proficient movements, Zhang Shuya's brow furrowed in suspicion once again.
(End of Chapter)