During the three days he spent waiting for the drone, Wang Diren did not remain idle. Feigning curiosity, he took the time to learn the basics of gold refining from a jeweler, while simultaneously ordering five sets of refining equipment—crucibles, fuel, molds, and the like—from the Taobei website, with a surplus of fuel for good measure.
Three days later, the shipment arrived. He kept one set for himself, set aside another to give to Li Yunlong, and kept the rest as backups. That night, under the cover of darkness, he refined twenty Japanese gold teeth into small gold bars. He managed to produce about twenty, feeling quite a sense of accomplishment.
Since he was living in the warehouse, with no expenses for food or clothing, he gave eighteen of the gold bars to his cousin, intending for them to be converted into cash to settle accounts with suppliers, keeping only two for himself. His cousin, never suspecting a thing, did not ask any questions.
In his spare time, he stayed glued to the internet, cramming all sorts of military technology. Whether it was a comprehensive guide to Imperial Japanese Army equipment from World War II, the processing of mortar shells, or the preparation of explosives—anything he could think of, he copied and stored on his phone. He even bought a high-capacity memory card specifically for this purpose.
He pondered the situation: in a few days, Yamamoto Ichimu and his Special Operations Forces were likely to launch a surprise attack on the Independent Regiment. Due to poor command, Commander Kong Jie would suffer heavy losses and be stripped of his rank.
Since he knew how the story unfolded, he could not let it happen again. He certainly could not let hundreds of heroic soldiers perish. After inspecting the warehouse, he found some toy replicas of landmines, along with repeating crossbows and night-vision goggles, though not in great quantities.
The toy landmines, in particular—aside from the explosive being replaced with sand—were essentially directional landmines. Wang Diren strongly suspected that a military factory had converted to civilian production and was simply clearing out old inventory.
He had his cousin notify the relevant shop owners that a "live-action CS camp" wanted to place a bulk order—as many as they could supply. The owners of the toy shop and the outdoor gear store were overjoyed, never expecting such a stroke of luck, and hurried to gather stock.
As for the "three treasures" for the soldiers—camouflage uniforms (including liberation shoes), military-green quilts, and solar power banks—he had long since secured enough. He instructed the drone manufacturer to send five samples of the new version and push for mass production.
Everything was ready. He told his cousin he was going on a business trip for a few days, then prepared to set off for the world of *Drawing Sword*. He initiated the transfer.
He arrived five hundred meters from Li Yunlong, right at the sentry post for the clothing factory. He told the guards he was looking for Li Yunlong. Of course, he couldn't act too relaxed; he hunched his back and massaged his legs, putting on a convincing show of exhaustion. At that moment, Li Yunlong walked out to greet him in person.
"Haha, Brother Wang! I’ve been waiting for you."
"Finding you wasn't easy. I’m exhausted! How did you end up stationed here?" Wang Diren asked, feigning ignorance.
"Don't ask—it's a long story. Most people get demoted for losing a battle, but I got demoted for winning one. Where am I supposed to go to complain?" Li Yunlong sighed, filled with resentment.
"I’ve brought the goods. Do you have any troops on hand right now?" Wang Diren asked, cutting straight to the chase.
"I’m just the factory manager here. The troops I have on hand are, at most, a reinforced guard platoon," Li Yunlong said, bitter at heart.
"I traveled a long way to bring these clothes—I’ve prepared over a thousand sets. Surely you need at least two hundred?" Wang Diren pressed him.
"I’ve only got thirty-some men here. Why would I need that many? Do I look like I have money to burn? Besides, we’re a clothing factory ourselves," Li Yunlong replied, even more dejected.
"That’s your problem. You must have old comrades or brothers, or this business won’t work," Wang Diren said, resorting to playing the rascal.
"Don't say that! I have a brother who’s been through life and death with me. He’s nearby, his name is Kong Jie, and he’s a regimental commander. We were in the same squad when we were recruits and shared the same pot for years. He’ll definitely listen to me," Li Yunlong said, truly anxious now.
"See this? In my left hand, I have two bottles of Fenjiu, and in my right, a crucible—a tool that can turn stone into gold. You know what that means. Take me to him. Regardless of whether the business goes through, this is all yours," Wang Diren played his trump card.
"Good stuff, really good stuff! Let’s go!" Li Yunlong couldn't resist the sight of the liquor.
A guard standing nearby stepped over and whispered to Li Yunlong, "Commander, be careful. He looks a bit like a traitor to me."
"He’s killed at least eighty, maybe a hundred Japs with his own hands. And you’re calling him a traitor?" Li Yunlong retorted angrily.
Soon, they arrived at the headquarters of Kong Jie’s Independent Regiment.
"Kong the Second-Blockhead! Look who I’ve brought. Lucky you!" Li Yunlong shouted from a distance.
"Li Big-Head, you’re the one who's a blockhead!" Kong Jie didn't hold back.
"This is my brother from overseas, Brother Wang. He has a divine bird that can fly through the skies and tunnel through the earth," Li Yunlong said, puffing out his chest with pride.
"Oh! Brother Wang, a pleasure, a pleasure! I’ve heard Li Yunlong bragging about your divine bird for ages. I’m finally honored to meet you."
They shook hands vigorously, and by tacit agreement, no one mentioned the clothing. Wang Diren was happy to leave it at that.
"The one I brought last time was worn out by Commander Li. I’ve brought a new one this time—it can fly higher and further."
"Then I must see it in action!" Kong Jie said, full of anticipation.
"Shall we fly it, then?" Wang Diren looked at Li Yunlong.
"Let’s fly it!" Li Yunlong felt a bit dejected, like someone who had just had his favorite toy snatched away; he only regretted bragging while drunk, and now he couldn't show his disappointment.
Wang Diren released the drone from his inventory, pretending it was flying in from afar.
"Let’s fly a bit further this time. There’s nothing much to see nearby." He steered the drone toward the Qingshan POW Camp, as if flying aimlessly. If he remembered correctly, Yamamoto Ichimu’s team was already there conducting specialized training.
"Hey, there are a lot of trucks parked outside. I haven't seen that before. Is there some kind of operation going on? Fly closer and take a look," Kong Jie noted first.
"There’s a group of Japs doing combat training. Damn, these Japs are completely inhumane. There’s another group rock climbing—they’re scaling those high walls in a flash. They’re impressive," Li Yunlong observed carefully.
"A group of Japs like that... they look like an elite unit. Their helmets aren't even reflective, and they’re all using submachine guns. They shouldn't be here. They’re more than capable of assassinating Principal Chang," Kong Jie mused.
"But they *are* here. Is there any high-value target nearby?" Wang Diren asked, feigning ignorance.
"Oh no! They’re rock climbing. The only cliff nearby is at my back mountain. Could they be coming for me?" Kong Jie exclaimed.
"Don't be ridiculous. How much is an old guy like you worth? If I were them, I wouldn't bother with you. I’d just keep going for the length of a cigarette smoke. Can you imagine?" Li Yunlong was thinking further ahead.
"Daxiawan. The consequences would be unthinkable," Kong Jie cried out again.
"So, Kong Jie, my friend, you’re in trouble. Whether they’re coming for you or not, you’re blocking their path. You’re likely to face a bloody disaster," Li Yunlong said, the playfulness gone.
"What are you two talking about? I don't understand a word of it. Regardless, we can't linger here. If they find out we’ve spotted them, they’ll be on guard, and things will get complicated."
Seeing that his goal was achieved, Wang Diren hurriedly recalled the drone.
"Kong Jie is in danger. Brother Wang, do you have any way to help?" Li Yunlong looked at him with hopeful eyes.
"What could I possibly do? I don't even have any weapons," Wang Diren thought to himself, his heart heavy.