Shanghai in the Republican Era

Chapter 99 Exquisite Attire: The Truth Revealed in the Tumultuous Struggle of the Republic of China,

Splendid Costumes: Lin Fangfei and Gu Zixuan's Turbulent Republican Era

Life and death choice

The gunshot shattered the tranquility, and my heart leaped into my throat. I was wearing a light blue cotton cheongsam, but I had no time to worry about whether it would get dirty or torn. I looked at Gu Zixuan; his eyes were filled with anger and determination.

"Fangfei, find a place to hide first, I'll go check the situation." After saying that, Gu Zixuan ran towards the place where the gunfire was the most intense.

How could I possibly hide? This is my textile factory, where my life's work is, and where my friends and partners are. I gritted my teeth and ran after Gu Zixuan.

Shen Wanqing called out from behind, "Miss Lin, Mr. Gu, be careful!"

Gu Zixuan and I ran to the entrance of the textile factory and saw Japanese soldiers wantonly destroying things. Some workers were running away in all directions, while others bravely picked up tools and fought against the Japanese soldiers.

A young worker saw us and shouted, "Miss Lin, Mr. Gu, these Japanese devils are awful! They suddenly rushed in, beating anyone they saw and smashing everything in sight."

Gu Zixuan's face was terribly gloomy. He picked up a wooden stick from the ground and shouted, "Don't be afraid, everyone! Let's drive these invaders out together!"

I picked up a stone too. Although my hand was trembling slightly, my eyes were resolute. "Yes, we can't let them run rampant here."

When the Japanese soldiers saw us, one of the officers sneered and said in broken Chinese, "Do you think you can resist the army of the Great Japanese Empire? Today is your death day."

Gu Zixuan said angrily, "You will not have a good end if you burn, kill, and loot on our land."

After saying that, he rushed towards the Japanese officer. I followed him, and the other workers, encouraged, shouted and charged towards the Japanese soldiers.

During the battle, I saw a Japanese soldier raise his bayonet and thrust it at a little girl. The little girl cried out in terror, and her mother cried out desperately beside her. In a moment of panic, I rushed towards the Japanese soldier without thinking.

"Fangfei, watch out!" Gu Zixuan shouted in alarm when he saw what I was doing.

I struck the Japanese soldier in the arm with the stone in my hand. The soldier winced in pain, and his bayonet veered off course. I took the opportunity to pull the little girl behind me, and the little girl's mother quickly hugged her.

"Thank you, Miss Lin," the little girl's mother said gratefully.

I nodded and returned to the fight. On Gu Zixuan's side, he was locked in a fierce battle with the Japanese officer. The Japanese officer's swordsmanship was formidable, but Gu Zixuan, with his agility and intense anger, was holding his own.

"Gu Zixuan, you can't escape today," the Japanese officer said viciously.

"I will not run away. I will drive all of you invaders out," Gu Zixuan replied through gritted teeth.

Just then, Lu Ziming arrived with his soldiers. "Mr. Gu, Miss Lin, we've come to your aid."

Lu Ziming's arrival greatly boosted our morale. His soldiers were well-trained and quickly engaged in fierce fighting with the Japanese troops.

However, the Japanese soldiers seemed to have been prepared, and their reinforcements kept arriving, and we gradually became unable to hold them off.

I looked at the workers and soldiers falling all around me, and my heart was filled with grief. "Zixuan, this can't go on, we have to think of something."

While fending off the Japanese soldiers' attacks, Gu Zixuan said, "I know, but we don't have any good ideas right now."

Shen Wanqing ran over at this moment, her hair a little messy and her face covered in dust. "Miss Lin, Mr. Gu, I have an idea. We can flank them from behind. Their attention is focused on the front right now, and their defenses in the rear are relatively weak."

Gu Zixuan and I exchanged a glance and agreed that this plan was feasible. So, we selected some brave workers and soldiers and quietly circled around to the back of the Japanese soldiers.

When we unexpectedly appeared behind the Japanese soldiers, they were thrown into disarray. We seized the opportunity to launch a fierce attack, and the Japanese soldiers began to retreat in disarray.

Just when we thought victory was in sight, the mysterious man in black reappeared. He ran to my side and said anxiously, "Miss Lin, I've verified that information. It's related to a secret Japanese weapons program. If we can stop this program, we can completely turn the tide. However, the key figure in this program is in a secret base in Shanghai, and we must find him as soon as possible."

My heart skipped a beat; I hadn't expected this news to be so important. "Then how do we find that secret base?"

The man in black shook his head. "I don't know the exact location yet, but I have some clues. We need to look for a special mark on these Japanese soldiers; this mark might guide us to that stronghold."

We started looking for that special mark on the bodies of Japanese soldiers and prisoners, but we couldn't find it after a long time.

"Could it be that we've gone in the wrong direction?" Gu Zixuan asked, frowning.

Just when we were feeling hopeless, one of the Japanese prisoners suddenly gave us a strange look. I felt he might know something, so I walked up to him.

"Do you know the location of that secret base?" I asked.

The Japanese prisoner initially refused to speak, but under our coercion and enticement, he finally relented.

“I can tell you, but you have to release me,” the Japanese prisoner said.

I looked at Gu Zixuan and Lu Ziming, and they nodded.

The Japanese prisoners gave us an address, which we followed. However, when we arrived, we discovered it was a trap.

Suddenly, a large number of Japanese soldiers appeared around us, and we were surrounded.

"Do you think we'd tell you the location of our secret base so easily? You're too naive." A Japanese officer stepped out from behind, smiling smugly.

How can we break through this encirclement now? What is that mysterious secret weapon program? These questions are like heavy shackles, binding us and plunging us into an even more dangerous situation.

"Splendid Costumes: Lin Fangfei and Gu Zixuan's Turbulent Republican Era"

A trapped beast's struggle

Surrounded by Japanese soldiers, my heart felt as if it had sunk to the bottom of an icy lake. I was wearing a plain-colored cheongsam, but at that moment it felt like a heavy shackle. I gripped Gu Zixuan's hand tightly, drawing strength from it. Gu Zixuan's eyes were filled with anger and resentment; his fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"These despicable bastards actually set such a trap," Gu Zixuan said through gritted teeth.

Lu Ziming also looked serious. Although his soldiers were outnumbered, they maintained a fighting stance. "Don't panic, everyone. Let's find their weak point and break through."

Shen Wanqing stood beside me, her face pale but her eyes resolute. "Miss Lin, we can't let them trap us like this."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. "That's right, we need to find a way to break through."

The Japanese officer looked at us with a smug smile. "You're doomed today. Surrender obediently, and perhaps I'll spare your lives."

I glared at him angrily. "We will not surrender. You invaders will be driven out of China sooner or later."

Gu Zixuan suddenly stepped forward and shouted at the Japanese officer, "Your so-called secret weapons plan will not succeed."

The Japanese officer's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his arrogance. "Hmph, you'll never know what our plan is."

Just then, I noticed that several of the Japanese soldiers surrounding us looked somewhat nervous, their eyes frequently glancing towards a small alley to the left. A thought struck me: was there some kind of weakness there?

I quietly tugged at Gu Zixuan's sleeve and whispered, "Zixuan, look at that alley on the left. Those Japanese soldiers seem to care a lot about that place. Maybe that's their weak point."

Gu Zixuan followed my gaze and nodded. "I've noticed that too. We can concentrate our forces to break through from there."

Lu Ziming listened to our plan and agreed. "Okay, let's get ready and wait for my signal to rush into that alley together."

We quietly adjusted our positions, and the workers and soldiers gripped their weapons tightly, their eyes filled with determination.

"Charge!" Lu Ziming shouted, and we rushed towards the alley on the left like a surging tide.

The Japanese soldiers were caught off guard by our sudden attack and were momentarily flustered. But they quickly recovered and began to frantically try to stop us.

I grabbed a wooden stick and swung it forcefully at a Japanese soldier. The soldier blocked my attack with his bayonet, then stabbed at me in return. I dodged to the side, but accidentally bumped into another Japanese soldier. This soldier seized the opportunity to grab my arm, trying to subdue me.

When Gu Zixuan saw that I had been captured, his eyes turned red. He rushed over without hesitation, punched the Japanese soldier in the face, and freed me.

"Fangfei, are you alright?" Gu Zixuan asked with concern, his face full of anxiety.

"I'm fine, be careful," I replied.

In the fierce breakout battle, our numbers dwindled, but we were getting closer and closer to the alleyway.

Finally, we broke through the Japanese soldiers' lines and rushed into the alley. However, the alley was filled with a pungent smell and was very dark.

"Everyone be careful, there might be traps here," Lu Ziming warned.

We walked cautiously through the alley when we suddenly heard a strange sound. It sounded like a machine running, or perhaps the roar of some unknown creature.

"What is that sound?" I asked in alarm.

Gu Zixuan gripped my hand tightly. "No matter what it is, we must keep moving forward. We can't be intimidated by the unknown."

As we continued forward, we discovered a hidden basement entrance. The sound was coming from inside the basement.

"Could this basement be the key to their secret weapon plan?" Shen Wanqing wondered.

I stared at the basement entrance, my heart filled with a mixture of curiosity and fear. "Should we go down and take a look?"

Gu Zixuan thought for a moment, then said, "We've come this far, we have to go down and see. Maybe this is our only chance to stop their plan."

We slowly walked into the basement, where the light was even dimmer, with only a few dim oil lamps flickering. The basement was filled with all sorts of strange instruments and equipment, and some people in white work clothes were busy at work.

When they saw us, they all looked terrified.

"Who are you? How did you get here?" asked a man who looked like the person in charge.

I stepped forward and said, "We are here to stop your secret weapons program. You will not have a good end doing these evil things on Chinese soil."

The person in charge sneered. "Do you think you can stop us? If this plan succeeds, the entire city of Shanghai will be under our control."

Just then, we discovered another huge iron door in the basement, and behind the door came an even louder sound of machinery running.

"What's behind that door?" Lu Ziming asked.