CHAPTER 438: CHAPTER 211: [BATTLE OF SONGHU] MORNING CANNON FIRE (4.2K)

Although the concession area over there is safe, judging by the scene outside the window... it’s clearly not easy to blend in.

The place is heavily guarded, and it’s not even nighttime yet. Patrolling soldiers have already started patrolling along the river channels, just in case someone tries to slip across.

Shirui also wants to go in, but there’s no way to get inside.

And staying here means having no money.

In this chaotic time, if he really gets caught, he’d have to start over.

Shirui couldn’t decide what to do for a moment, so he asked his livestream viewers from Blue Star if they had any good ideas.

Soon, the bullet screen was flooded with messages.

[Streamer, run quickly! The Japanese Army’s advance troops are almost here!]

[Find a yard and dig a cellar! Come out at night to explore Shanghai.]

[Go to the French concession! There’s an underground party contact point on Avenue Joffre!]

[Go to the Yong’an Company pawnshop, I know a secret passage!]

[Take two packs of Hardman cigarettes, and give them out at a crucial moment. They might spare your life!]

[Hilarious, do the Japanese Army smoke Hardman?]

Seeing the bullet screen messages, Shirui’s eyes suddenly lit up.

Even though he didn’t have money, there were plenty of players who started in Shanghai, and surely someone would know some secrets, such as the underground party contacts or the secret passage at the Yong’an Company pawnshop.

These were things discovered in their own narratives, which means that they must exist in his narrative too.

Since that’s the case....

Shirui immediately opened the game forum and had the photon supercomputer search for several keywords like ’Shanghai,’ ’money,’ ’secret’.....

Soon.

A pile of links appeared in front of Shirui.

Viewers from Blue Star in the livestream room were confused, then saw Shirui click on a link. The post was by a player sharing how they discovered an official’s hidden residence in Shanghai.

The post said the official returned every week, and had just left two days ago.

Immediately, this streamer jumped over the wall to explore and found quite a few gold bars, house deeds, and so on....

Seeing this, viewers from Blue Star in the livestream were wide-eyed.

This actually works?

Shirui was also full of excitement, looking through one by one, waiting for nightfall to get ready to loot around.

All of these are individual narratives, and those secrets that were discovered in other people’s narratives were still well-hidden in his own, undetected.

As night fell, Shirui headed out the door.

The next day.

Early morning.

Having gone out empty-handed the day before, Shirui returned carrying a box filled with money and gold pieces, even through the Yong’an Company secret passage discovered by viewers.

He slipped in, changed his outfit, and even snagged a camera from the pawnshop.

Now, disguised as a reporter, no one would suspect a thing.

Looking at his suited and booted self in the mirror, with the camera in tow, Shirui nodded in satisfaction and said to the livestream viewers from Blue Star:

"Brothers, all the equipment is ready."

"Next, I’m going to pretend to be a reporter."

"This reporter identity should get some protection from the Blue forces, right?"

With that.

Shirui went on to change the livestream’s title to

[Countdown to the Battle of Songhu, ’1’ day]

Though there’s still a few days in-game time.

But given the speed of skipping through the narrative, these few days in-game time would be finished by tomorrow morning in reality.

So it naturally read ’1’ day countdown.

Meanwhile, in other livestreams nearby.

Quite a few streamers who also hadn’t triggered the Four Crossings of the Chishui River were learning from Shirui’s moves, aiming to trigger the Battle of Songhu.

However, some were simply too far away in distance.

So they just joined various local forces since the Polestar Official Website showed troops from all over the country supporting Shanghai in the CG.

Sometimes a blind cat catches a dead mouse; who knows if the unit they join would be active in battle?

After joining, those players quickly skipped through the story.

The skipped time was anywhere from half a month to a month, and soon enough, a few streamers triggered the narrative, with their units ordered to support Shanghai.

....

At this time.

In a livestream of a streamer who joined the Sichuan Army, Liao Feng.

Just half a month since joining, their training was interrupted by a sudden blaring whistle, as a messenger officer ran onto the field:

"Everyone! Gather your gear!"

"The East Sea devils have reached Shanghai! We’re going to reinforce!"

The messenger officer’s words caused a commotion among the soldiers.

Some were excitedly rubbing their palms, some turned pale, and a majority looked bewildered, not understanding what was going on.

Liao Feng glanced around, taking in the expressions of those around him, letting the viewers within the livestream from Blue Star also witness this as he began to speak:

"Most people still don’t know what’s going on."

"But understandably so."

"These soldiers are mostly local farmers, some of whom don’t even know what Shanghai is."

Following Liao Feng’s gaze, what came into the view of the Blue Star viewers was this unit in tattered gray military uniforms, wearing straw sandals on their feet.

A few soldiers carried old-model rifles, with their stocks long polished from use.

As for new recruits like Liao Feng, they didn’t even have the privilege to wield a firearm, only large machetes in hand.

Yet, there were no objections.

Following the messenger officer’s orders, under the guidance of their respective officers, soldiers hastily packed their gear, not even having time to bid farewell to their local families.

Carrying their simple bedrolls, they began heading out of the barracks.

Along the way, many villagers were murmuring, unsure what happened or where these soldiers were heading.

....

In the Xiangjiang region.

A Xiang Army unit was hastily boarding the train.