This is impossible

Lu Chen was engrossed in watching the battle from his trench when he suddenly sensed movement beside him.

Looking back, Murakami Takayuki was helping Matsumoto Kiyoko jump down from above.

"We almost managed to hit him from this far away."

Murakami Takayuki muttered to himself, a few drops of sweat unconsciously trickling down his forehead.

It's already winter, and the nights are quite chilly. Murakami Takayuki was so startled that he broke out in a cold sweat, which shows how nervous he was.

"Are you alright, Ms. Kiyoko?"

Murakami Takayuki turned around and looked Matsumoto Kiyoko up and down several times.

Although it was impolite, seeing that she was alright, I finally felt relieved.

Kiyoko Matsumoto's usually calm face showed a hint of tension; that shot had almost hit her, it was really dangerous.

"Team leader, it seems they've withdrawn their troops."

After hearing the gunfire cease on the battlefield, Lu Chen watched for a while to confirm that there was truly no sound before turning to Matsumoto Kiyoko and speaking.

"Let's go take a look. If they've withdrawn their troops, then we'll go back too."

Kiyoko Matsumoto glanced disdainfully at the damp mud on her feet and told Takayuki Murakami to go and check if the troops had actually withdrawn.

Murakami Takayuki nodded, turned and walked towards the end of the trench, where there was a corner leading to the trench ahead.

"Team leader, are you alright?"

Kiyoko Matsumoto showed no signs of distress, only a startled expression.

"fine."

She didn't even look at Lu Chen, spoke calmly, and resumed her placid demeanor.

Why are you making that sour face?

Lu Chen cursed inwardly, thinking that her position as team leader was like everyone owed her money.

He always has a sour face and acts superior to everyone else.

He was just pretending to care, and when he saw that she didn't want to talk to him, Lu Chen wisely kept quiet.

Peeking out, I saw several puppet soldiers crawling out of the trenches, stumbling and looking back every few steps as they entered the ruins.

A few minutes later, he returned unharmed.

"Miss Kiyoko, the complete retreat has been confirmed. Shall we withdraw our troops?"

After waiting a while, Murakami Takaan brought back confirmation of the retreat and came to Matsumoto Kiyoko to ask her whether the troops should be withdrawn.

Kiyoko Matsumoto didn't speak, but nodded slightly.

After Matsumoto Kiyoko and Murakami Takayuki climbed out of the trench, they naturally reached out their hands and were pulled out by him.

Lu Chen finally managed to crawl out of the trench.

The soil was slippery because it was wet, and I got covered in dirt.

Behind him, a large number of Japanese soldiers crawled out of the trenches, passed by Lu Chen, and headed towards the Japanese camp.

Kiyoko Matsumoto and Takayuki Murakami walked at the front, followed by the four Japanese army captains, and then the Japanese soldiers.

At the very back were the puppet troops. When Lu Chen saw them during the day, there were still about a hundred of them, but now only sixty-odd remained. Nearly half of them had died in the battle.

Lu Chen estimated that he was a few steps behind and followed at the very back of the main group.

He had just seen Rat One, but because Matsumoto Kiyoko was nearby, he couldn't do anything else.

Now that she's separated from the main group, and Kiyoko Matsumoto isn't paying attention to herself, it's a good time for Rat to come back.

"Squeak squeak".

The mouse squeaked twice, and Lu Chen smiled triumphantly, stuffing the mouse into his arms.

I had previously instructed Rat Three and Rat Four to carry the grain without leaving a trace.

Even if it's just a single grain of rice that falls on the ground, we have to get it back.

Having learned from Rat One that the grain had been transported away, he wanted to see what Matsumoto Kiyoko would do with the completely undetected scene.

When they returned to the Japanese camp, the soldiers were panting heavily and sat down on the ground.

Lu Chen didn't linger. Seeing that Murakami Takao, Matsumoto Kiyoko, and several Japanese army captains were at the granary, he quickly went over there as well.

"Baka! How is this possible? We've all been there, and it's only been a short time. How could they all have disappeared?"

The Japanese company commander stared in disbelief at the empty granary, circling it several times.

The others, including Kiyoko Matsumoto, looked as if they had seen a ghost, their faces filled with disbelief.

"Even if it's a rat, how could such a beast know how to move food? They just stay in one place and eat. And even if they did know how, they couldn't possibly move all of this food without leaving a trace."

Kiyoko Matsumoto walked into the granary and looked it over several times, while Takashi Murakami stayed close by her side.

Lu Chen found it somewhat amusing. Yes, it was a rat, something you would never have guessed.

Seeing that everyone else was inside the granary, he felt a bit out of place standing alone outside.

Lu Chen stepped into the granary and frowned as he scanned it from top to bottom.

"It is indeed a bit strange. No matter what, it is impossible to move all of it in such a short time."

He stroked his chin with a serious expression and silently wiped away the small white footprints on the ground with his foot.

"However, this is still feasible."

"If they are our own people, and we bring a few more soldiers, this amount of time will be more than enough."

Lu Chen stood next to Matsumoto Kiyoko, glanced at Murakami Takayasu, and then quickly looked away.

He wanted to frame Murakami Takayuki for this, since only he and Matsumoto Kiyoko knew about his code name.

This is undoubtedly a potential danger, and the fewer people who know the code name "rat," the better.

As for Kiyoko Matsumoto...

If he is absolutely certain that he can take care of her without revealing himself, Lu Chen will also eliminate her.

"But only the company commander and battalion commander have the keys to the granary. We had them before, but they were taken away after the incident."

Before Lu Chen could speak and direct the fire towards Murakami Takaan, a Japanese platoon leader spoke first.

Even if he didn't mean anything by it, in Matsumoto Kiyoko's opinion, the most suspicious people right now are the company commander and the battalion commander, Murakami Takayuki.

Both men had keys to the granary and the authority to command soldiers, not to mention the puppet troops.

If one of the two were to betray the other and join forces with some soldiers, this might not be an impossible feasibility.

"Team leader, all we need to do is take a headcount of the soldiers, and then take another headcount before the next battle to see if everyone is there. That will tell us whether or not our own people did this."

Lu Chen glanced at the squad leader; what a helpful assist!

However, he didn't mention it to the company commander or Murakami Takayuki, as that would seem too deliberate. Instead, he devised a plan that would benefit himself.

I estimate that this way I can get more food from the Japanese army a few more times.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Did I or the captain do it?"

Before Murakami Takayuki could speak, the company commander immediately retorted, poking the squad leader's head and chattering incessantly.

"It's possible that it was done by our own people. We didn't count the number of people this time because we were in a rush to fight, but all the team leaders went. As it stands, this is the only way."

"What do you think, Miss Kiyoko?"

Murakami Takayuki nodded, looked at Matsumoto Kiyoko, and asked her what she thought.

The Japanese army would count the number of soldiers before and after the battle to know exactly how many people had been lost.

But it was a surprise attack, there was no preparation, and no headcount was taken, so it's unclear whether anyone survived.

"As things stand, this is the only way."

Kiyoko Matsumoto remained expressionless and succinctly set the course for the future.