strictlysupreme Chapter 1059 Hong Kong in the Shadows
Chapter 1059 Hong Kong in the Shadows
Liu Lanfang asked Gui'er, "Does your family have any plans? If a fight really breaks out in my family, we might have to go to Macau."
Gui'er shook her head blankly: "I'm not familiar with Macau, and I don't have any relatives or friends there."
"Sigh, school is still in session. Just thinking about walking out of the house every day amidst the sounds of gunfire is terrifying. I'm going home now. Is there anything you want me to tell Lin Peishan?"
Gui'er didn't know what to say for a moment, so she said, "It's nothing, just tell her to be careful."
Liu Lanfang nodded and then left.
Just then, Acheng walked in and said to Gui'er, "Miss, I saw some students leaving, so I knew school was over. That's why I came in to check. Today is a special day, so let's not linger outside and go home early."
Gui'er thought for a moment and said, "No, I have to go see Brother Chen."
Acheng hesitated for a moment, but seeing the determination in her eyes, he could only sigh and say, "Okay." Then he drove her to Chen Zhongyu's apartment.
Before the car had even come to a complete stop, Gui'er saw Chen Zhongyu returning from outside and about to enter.
He saw Gui'er too, and quickly went up to her and asked, "Are you alright?"
Gui'er nodded and said, "Peishan didn't come to school today."
Chen Zhongyu said, "I know her mother was worried something might happen, so she asked her to stay at home. I was also at work, but Mr. Mo said that these are extraordinary times and I should go home early, so I left work early."
Gui'er quickly asked, "What can we do now?"
"On my way back, I visited all our contact points and checked them. There was nothing unusual. I learned from Mo Gansheng that Japan and Britain are currently negotiating. It seems that Japan is pressuring Britain to close the Burma Road and cut off China's supplies. So this time, they may just be conducting an exercise and do not intend to attack. However, we cannot let our guard down. What's worse is that our comrades who went to transport supplies have not returned yet. Now that they are conducting an exercise, they have definitely blocked the sea area and we don't know when they will be able to return."
Upon hearing this, Gui'er quickly said, "Some of my classmates said the same thing, so it seems quite possible."
Chen Zhongyu nodded and said, "We're fine for now. The most important thing is to keep a low profile, stay hidden, and conceal your identity. You should go home as soon as possible. People outside are in a state of panic, and the security situation is getting worse. Be careful. I'll call you if anything happens."
Gui'er nodded, finally feeling a little relieved after meeting Chen Zhongyu.
Back at the villa, Dingxiang put her hands together and said, "Amitabha, you're finally back. There were constant explosions outside all day, it was terrifying. The streets were in chaos. In the shops, everyone was scrambling to buy rice, flour, and biscuits because they were worried about a power outage. They were also fighting over candles and flashlights. I took the liberty of asking Liujin to go out and buy some."
Acheng said, "We just met with Mr. Chen. He said it was just an exercise. The Japanese and the British are negotiating to force the British to close the Burma Road and cut off our supply lines. They shouldn't attack us."
Dingxiang listened, seemingly understanding but not quite, and said, "What if the British don't agree to close it? Will they still attack?"
Without hesitation, Gui'er said, "The British will definitely agree. They're pursuing an appeasement policy domestically, so it'll probably be over in ten days. However, in the long run, I think the Japanese will still take over Hong Kong. After all, Hong Kong is a natural port, and the Japanese won't let it remain in the hands of an Allied power so close to them."
"By the way, where's Brother Wu?" Gui'er then realized that she hadn't seen Wu Mingqiang.
"He went out early this morning and hasn't come back yet."
"You haven't come back at all? I hope nothing bad has happened to you."
"Miss, I'm back."
Just then, Wu Mingqiang came running back from outside, looking travel-worn.
"Brother Wu, how's it going? What's the situation outside?"
"Sigh, things are in chaos outside. I went to the front lines myself and saw it. It was indeed an exercise, but a huge one. I heard there were nearly 10,000 people involved. From a distance, the sky was filled with sand and dust, and the sea was completely blocked off. Those damned Japanese! I shipped that batch of goods there a few days ago, and I still haven't received payment. Now the people are stuck in Guangzhou, unable to come back, and there's been no word from them. Damn it."
Acheng asked, "Do the British have any troops on their side? What kind of operation are they doing? Are they just going to watch the Japanese conduct exercises so close to us? They're firing cannons and guns and even blockading the sea."
“I saw that they seem to have strengthened the defenses of the Drunken Bay and the borders of Lo Wu and Sha Tau Kok, increased patrols and sentries, and requisitioned vehicles and boats; I also heard that they will conscript local eligible men into the reserve force, implement blackouts and air defense drills, but it seems that the number of people is not large, and it seems that they are not paying special attention to it. Moreover, I heard from friends and some high-ranking people that they are indeed negotiating. The British think that the Japanese will not attack, so they are just putting on a show.”
Gui'er laughed sarcastically and said, "The British are cowards, and so are those rich people. Many of my classmates said they want to go to Macau to seek refuge, and some said they want to go to Singapore."
Wu Mingqiang said seriously, "Miss, you mustn't take this lightly. These people have their reasons. Even though they haven't attacked this time, many people say they will attack sooner or later. So many silk shops, rice shops, and other businesses have moved or buried their valuables and grains. I went to the pawnshop today and asked them to move all the valuables to the basement. Then they temporarily sealed the basement with soil. It's really fortunate that we bought a shop with a cellar to run this pawnshop. It saved us from having to dig it up ourselves."
"Moreover, I heard that some expatriates and wealthy businessmen have started selling their properties and snapping up Singapore/Australia ferry tickets, which are in high demand; some people are storing gold and passports in bank safe deposit boxes in preparation for an emergency evacuation; only a few people believe that Britain will compromise and are still living their normal lives, but they have all prepared emergency kits. I also arranged for my shop assistant to deliver them to me later."
Gui'er sighed: "There's no point in discussing this here any longer. Let's go inside and get on with what we need to do."
As night fell, the city was plunged into darkness by the blackout imposed across Hong Kong. The sounds of Japanese artillery exercises were particularly clear in the silence, making it difficult to sleep. Every second was filled with tension. The gunfire seemed to come from near and far, and it grew louder as the night grew quieter, as if it could strike at any moment, or even feel as if it were already nearby. Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.