Chapter 1

Under the cover of snow in the Wanda Mountains of Heilongjiang Province, the view was vast and the landscape was a blanket of white. The north wind whipped up coarse snow particles, striking the tree trunks with a rustling sound. In the snow, several roe deer stopped chewing on dry grass, perked up their ears, and listened vigilantly.

"Where is this place? Why am I not in Area 51? Is this a virtual scene?"

Dong Ku crouched in the snow, gripping the M4A1 assault rifle in his hand, using a half-buried dead tree for cover. His eyes, filled with suspicion, scanned the area.

*Bang...*

At that moment, a crisp gunshot echoed through the snow-covered mountains. As the snow on the treetops fell, the roe deer were startled, raising their front legs in preparation to flee. However, these so-called "stupid roe deer" would not run until they understood the situation.

Just as their hind legs bent and they were still trying to locate the source of the sound, a series of gunshots erupted. The sharp sound of steel guns mixed with the dull explosions of foreign rifles, creating a chaotic scene. The noise shook the snow off the branches, which swirled in the north wind and disappeared on the snow-covered ground.

The dense gunfire startled the roe deer, and their hind legs suddenly sprang up, leaping over two meters high and covering twenty to thirty meters in a single bound. They landed, sending up a cloud of snow, and fled down the hill.

"Gunfire!"

Dong Ku accurately determined the position of the gunfire. It was not far from him, at most a few hundred meters away, behind a rocky outcrop. With the gunfire came faint footsteps.

The sound of people running in the snow could be heard faintly in the wind. The snow particles melted into ice water on his exposed hands, drawing heat from his body. As someone born and raised in Heilongjiang, with two years of experience in snow combat and as an elite special forces soldier, Dong Ku knew this was not a simulated scene.

As the gunfire echoed and the roe deer fled, his eyes narrowed, and he sprang up like a wild rabbit, gun in hand, kicking up a cloud of snow. In just five to six seconds, he reached the edge of the rocky outcrop. Peering around the rock, he was momentarily stunned.

On the flat slope less than two hundred meters away, a dozen people wearing sheepskin coats and the distinctive fur hats of Northeast China were trudging through knee-deep snow, running diagonally toward his direction, occasionally turning to fire a shot.

The dull gunshots reminded him of the foreign rifles he used for hunting before joining the army. The dozens of people in yellow coats chasing them also fired intermittently, and the sound of their guns was the same as the old rifles he had handled during training at the ammunition depot on the Heilongjiang border.

"Filming a movie?"

This thought flashed through Dong Ku's mind. He quickly looked around but saw no film crew or helicopters nearby. Long-distance filming was clearly impossible.

By the time he turned back, the group was already less than a hundred meters away, and he could clearly see their wind-burned faces. Suddenly, a gunshot rang out, and one of them stumbled and fell into the snow.

"Shan Zi!"

"Shan Zi, how are you?"

The running group immediately stopped, turning to help the fallen man.

Just as they paused, another gunshot echoed, and a man who had just bent down fell softly beside the first.

"Let's fight to the death!"

"Damn you!"

The remaining few, speaking with a Northeastern accent, cursed and raised their foreign rifles. Two dull shots rang out, and Dong Ku saw two of the pursuers, who were only a few dozen meters away, stagger and fall.

Instinctively, to protect the weaker, he aimed his gun at the pursuers but hesitated to fire, just in case...

"1930s Japanese military uniforms?"

The figures in yellow coats in his scope made Dong Ku pause. What was going on here?!

*Whizz...*

Suddenly, a bullet whizzed past his head.

"Live ammunition!"

Dong Ku's eyes narrowed. He recognized that this was not a blank but a real metal bullet.

As he hesitated, the twenty or so pursuers approached the group who were loading their guns, brandishing their bayonets and charging forward with a strange cry.

"Damn it!"

"Killing one is worth it!"

Shouting, the Northeastern men drew their foot-long knives, discarding their guns, and charged through the thick snow at the men in yellow coats.

"Eight-oh!"

The leading Northeastern man deflected a bayonet with his left hand and slashed with his knife, cutting into the neck of the man in the yellow coat.

A jet of blood, mixed with steam, spurted out, instantly turning the surrounding snow red. The heavy scent of blood quickly spread in the cold wind.

The cold north wind could not suppress the rising blood scent! The sight of the blood spurt from the knife cut made Dong Ku's head spin; he was all too familiar with this lethal strike.

This was definitely not a movie!

Moreover, the men in yellow coats spoke pure Japanese. As a former elite special forces soldier who had carried out special missions in multiple countries and was fluent in twelve languages, he was certain of this.

The snow-covered ground became a scene of brutal combat! Although the Northeastern men did not retreat, their short weapons put them at a disadvantage. In a moment, three of them were knocked down by rifle butts. It was clear that the three who had fallen would soon be killed by the bayonets that followed.

This was a life-and-death struggle!

The former were Northeastern compatriots, the latter were Japanese in World War II uniforms. He could not afford to hesitate; Dong Ku's eyes narrowed, and his gun fired!

*Da da... da...*

Precise shots blew the heads off the three men who were about to deliver the killing blows.

The three Northeastern men, who had been waiting to die and were now unable to defend themselves, did not feel the pain of the bayonets. They turned their heads toward the direction of the gunfire, their eyes filled with joy at surviving.

The people in the struggle did not notice the third party joining the fight, but the men in yellow coats, who had not yet approached, were startled by the sudden gunfire and stopped, crouching and aiming their guns at Dong Ku.

After killing the three men, Dong Ku quickly moved, emerging from behind the rock. He ran and fired, heading toward the group that had already engaged in combat.

As Dong Ku emerged from behind the rock, the three survivors saw him, and one of them, a lean and dark young man, shouted joyfully, "Brother Zhong, we have help!"

At the same time, the men in yellow coats, who were searching for targets, saw Dong Ku and, with a strange cry, raised their guns and fired at him.

Hearing the shout, the Northeastern men, who were at a disadvantage, were invigorated. The leader, seeing Dong Ku running alone in the hail of bullets, shouted, "Be careful, brother!" while dodging a bayonet and suddenly lunging forward, stabbing the enemy in the neck with all his might...

"Stick to the Japanese! Don't let them raise their guns!"

Seeing the reinforcements, the other Northeastern men also burst into action, shouting and charging at the nearest men with raised guns...

The men in World War II Japanese uniforms, clearly well-trained, abandoned their comrades who were engaged in combat with the Northeastern men. Upon spotting their target, they fired at Dong Ku while advancing.

As the gunfire rang out, Dong Ku's world became a crosshair-divided world. At this moment, it belonged only to him. His eyes focused only on the figures that flashed past the crosshairs. His finger steadily pulled the trigger as the figures crossed the crosshair. Three-shot bursts rang out continuously.

While running, Dong Ku felt a pain in his left rib but did not stop. He quickly turned his gun, continuously pulling the trigger as he ran.

*Da da... da da...*

The crisp gunfire made the approaching figures fall one by one. As the last figure fell, he charged into the group that was still engaged in combat.

"Eight-oh!"

A man who had just pulled his bayonet out of a Northeastern man's thigh turned and charged at Dong Ku with a standard bayonet thrust. The steaming bayonet tore through the cold air and was about to reach Dong Ku's chest.

The 30-round M4A1 had run out of ammunition in just a few seconds. Dong Ku swung his gun with his left hand, deflecting the bayonet, and with his right hand, he slashed at the enemy's throat. As his gun fell from his left hand, he grabbed the deflected bayonet and, with a practiced motion, pulled it free. He moved swiftly, and the bayonet gently grazed an enemy's neck.

"Great skills!" The man who had already killed three enemies slashed a Japanese man's neck, causing a large spray of blood. He shouted in admiration.

"Watch out behind you!" Dong Ku shouted, and as the blood mist bloomed behind him, he threw the bayonet, which flashed and embedded itself in an enemy's forehead.

"Damn!"

The man who had praised him felt the cold chill of the bayonet on his back as he heard the warning. He quickly turned, kicked the enemy who had been impaled, and broke out in a cold sweat.

Dong Ku, without even looking, leaped up and delivered a knee strike. With a crunch, another enemy was sent flying.

Dong Ku quickly dispatched four men and, as he landed, another M4A1 was already in front of him, firing in short bursts...

In the air filled with the scent of blood, the surviving Northeastern men, whether standing or lying on the ground, were filled with awe. Although they were proud of their bravery, they had never seen such a scene of killing. In their eyes, Dong Ku was a god-like figure.

Dong Ku walked to the man who had been kneed and was still twitching on the ground, grabbed a long gun, and with a *puchi*, stabbed the man in the heart. He looked back at the awe-struck and admiring men and, suppressing his unease, asked, "Where is this place? Who are these people?"

"Brother, you have great skills!" The Northeastern man, with a rugged and fierce face, wiped the blood from his face, his eyes shining with excitement and gratitude. He said, "This is Dahei Mountain, Xiaodong Gou." He looked at the bodies on the ground, still steaming, and explained, "These are the damn Japanese searching the mountains."

He bowed again, "Today, we owe our lives to you, brother! I, Liu Zhong, will be yours from now on!"

"Me too, Brother Zhong!"

"Brother, and me, Hu Zi!"

"Brother, just say the word, and I, Mazi, will bow to the ground, no hesitation..."

The Northeastern men, still filled with joy at surviving, responded heartily.

"Is this Dahei Mountain with Bijia Peak?" Dong Ku's mind buzzed, not noticing the enthusiasm of the men, and asked subconsciously.

"Bijia Peak?" Liu Zhong wiped the blood from his face, not paying attention to Dong Ku's reaction, and said heartily, "Brother, I only know there's a Ma'anshan nearby."

"Ma'anshan!!"

Dong Ku's mind buzzed, and he sat down in the snow, trying to suppress the dizziness. He had no choice but to act when he saw his compatriots being killed; as a soldier of the People's Republic of China, he had no other option! But...

Wasn't I in Area 51 in the United States? How did I end up here? What about my mission? Is this time travel? Do the time travel plots in TV shows and books really exist...

Liu Zhong draped his sheepskin coat over the dazed Dong Ku.

The warmth of the coat gradually warmed his stiff body and pulled him out of his confused thoughts. He asked, "What year is it?"

Liu Zhong, seeing that the god-like man did not resent his approach, said, "Brother, it's 1935."

"1931?!"

The year 1931 flashed through Dong Ku's mind, a year of indelible humiliation. His eyes flashed with determination, and the cold air made Liu Zhong, who had straightened up in the north wind, shiver.

"Really, time travel..."

Knowing the time, Dong Ku became clear-headed. Before he could think about what to do, a thought flashed through his mind, and he suddenly leaped toward the nearby hilltop, grabbing the sheepskin coat...

"Damn it! I was right, there can't be just these thirty or so Japanese searching the mountains!"

Looking at the yellow-clad column winding through the distant mountain valley, Dong Ku confirmed his suspicions. A group of Japanese soldiers was following the tracks of the vanguard, heading in their direction...