Chapter 2

Seeing the long line of marching troops below, Dong Ku, who was well-versed in World War II, knew that this was at least a Japanese infantry platoon, with about 150 men.

Based on the distance, he knew that this group of Japanese soldiers could climb up to his position in about half an hour, following the footprints all the way to the site of the recent battle. Facing over a hundred armed Japanese soldiers, even if Dong Ku was strong, he wasn't arrogant enough to confront them head-on.

There was no time to ponder how he got here or to consider the future. He narrowed his eyes, calculated for a moment, then crouched and retreated down the hill, quickly returning to the battle site.

In the snow, blood-red spots were scattered everywhere, the frozen blood standing out starkly against the white world. At this moment, several Northeastern men had gathered all the guns and weapons, piling them on two spread-out military coats. The man named Liu Zhong, now wearing a relatively clean Japanese coat, saw the mysterious man return and approached to discuss: "Brother, can we... keep these guns?"

Dong Ku knew how precious these guns were, especially the standard Type 38 rifles. He didn't have time to explain in detail, so he interrupted the man and asked, "First, tell me who you are?"

"Brother, we are hunters from Dahuishan. Our homes were destroyed by the Japanese during a search. We..."

Dong Ku understood. These were mountain hunters, no wonder they were so fierce in the face of the Japanese and didn't flinch at the sight of blood. He waved his hand and said, "A hundred or so Japanese soldiers are coming up the hill. What do you plan to do?"

"A hundred!! Oh my God! Brother Zhong, what do we do?"

The lean, dark-skinned boy, about thirteen or fourteen, exclaimed in shock.

"Damn it! Brother Zhong, if it weren't for Shanzi and Dog Egg being injured, we would have taken them on. I've already killed one, so it's worth it. Any more would be a bonus!" A towering, muscular man swung his fist and said in a deep voice.

Although the others didn't speak, they all looked at the man named Liu Zhong, clearly regarding him as their leader.

"A hundred..." Liu Zhong looked at his brothers, then at the guns on the ground, and turned to Dong Ku with a determined look. "Brother, these Japanese were chasing us. It's been a day and a night. Now that we're still alive and have so many Japanese to bury, it's worth it. We can't drag you down. We just ask for a few guns. We'll hold the Japanese at the hill, and you run in that direction. After the Black Pass, it's the watershed. The wind is strong there, and the footprints in the snow will be gone in half an hour."

"Right, we can't drag down this brother!"

"We'll hold the Japanese, brother, you run!"

The other hunters chimed in, their dark faces full of determination.

Dong Ku looked at these brave hunters and felt their simple sincerity. He made a decision to safely lead them away.

With his decision made, he waved his hand and said, "The Japanese are an infantry platoon with artillery and light machine guns. Staying here is just waiting to die. If you trust me, follow me with these weapons."

"Brother..." Liu Zhong's resolute face showed a hint of emotion, but he firmly refused, "No, we'll drag you down."

"Yes, brother, it's easier for you to go alone. Run quickly..."

Time was short, and Dong Ku didn't have time to argue. He interrupted them sternly, "Stop arguing, we don't have much time!"

Everyone fell silent at Dong Ku's stern words, but their eyes turned to Liu Zhong.

Liu Zhong knew Dong Ku was determined to take them with him. Thinking of his mysterious appearance, his superb marksmanship, and his advanced weapons, he felt a glimmer of hope for survival. With a burst of determination, he said, "Brother, you're skilled and a good shot. You must have a way to deal with the Japanese. Our lives are yours. If you don't mind us being a burden, just say the word, and we'll follow you."

"Brother, just say what to do, and I'll follow you," the towering man said in a deep voice.

"Yes, just say what to do..."

Seeing the clear and trusting eyes of these Northeastern men, Dong Ku took a deep breath and said, "Alright, everyone, move quickly. Change your clothes and carry all the weapons and ammunition." As he spoke, he quickly stripped a corpse of similar build and put on the clothes.

The others watched in surprise as Dong Ku quickly changed into a Japanese uniform. They looked at each other, unsure of what was happening.

"Are you just standing there waiting to die? Get moving!"

Although Liu Zhong was also puzzled, he picked a similar-sized corpse and started changing clothes while urging the others.

The group was startled, even the two injured men quickly found similar-sized corpses and changed clothes in the cold wind.

The man named Mazi held his sheepskin coat, looking around but unable to find a similar-sized corpse, and was pacing around in confusion.

Dong Ku, while treating a graze on his left rib with a bandage from his backpack, observed the flustered group. There were nine of them, plus one who had already died, making ten in total. They were all younger than him, around twenty years old, except for Liu Zhong, who was about twenty-three or twenty-four, a bit younger than him.

One of the more seriously injured men had a shoulder wound, and the other had been stabbed in the thigh. Although the wounds had been treated, the man with the leg injury would move slowly.

When his gaze fell on the large, dark-skinned man standing there unsure of what to do, he knew there were no Japanese soldiers of such build. "Mazi, you don't need to change. You'll carry Dog Egg. Can you handle it?"

"Sure, brother, I have the strength. I'll carry Dog Egg and won't be slower than you."

Mazi said this with a simple, straightforward tone.

Dong Ku smashed the faces of the corpses with the butt of his gun, then said, "Liu Zhong, lead the way to the Black Pass. Move quickly!"

"Brother... what about Er Qizi?" The lean boy's eyes welled up with tears.

"We'll escape first. If Er Qizi isn't eaten by wolves, we'll come back and bury him. Let's live first, and then we'll take revenge for him." Liu Zhong's resolute face showed a hint of guilt as he led the way without looking back.

Dong Ku didn't comment. Seeing everyone follow Liu Zhong behind the rocks, he nodded inwardly.

In the snow, the ten men formed two rows and ran quickly. Mazi, carrying the injured Dog Egg, kept up without falling behind, breathing heavily.

Dong Ku stayed at the back, with the lean boy, and they quickly disappeared behind the rocks, stepping in the middle of the footprints.

On the way, Dong Ku learned that the lean boy was named Zhang Hu, and they called him Hu Zi. The leader was Liu Zhong, the best gunner in Dahuishan, who was also righteous and skilled, and everyone trusted him. Hu Zi, while occasionally glancing at Dong Ku's M4A1, introduced everyone, even though they were running in a hurry.

Not long after they left, the Japanese soldiers arrived at the battle site.

The Japanese officer, Shan Kou Heng Er, with a mustache, saw only a dozen Japanese corpses on the ground. Although angry, he knew that about ten people had followed the enemy. He touched his mustache and muttered, "Jingbian is still alive. It seems not many of these mountain people are left." He drew his command knife and pointed in the direction where the footprints disappeared, ordering the pursuit.

After an hour of rapid running, everyone was sweating and panting. Although Sunzi wasn't carrying weapons and was supported by a man named Shunzi, he had a through-and-through gunshot wound and was gradually losing strength.

Dong Ku knew that if they continued like this, they would eventually be caught. Once caught, it would be hard to shake them off unless they eliminated the platoon.

He quickened his pace and asked, "Liu Zhong, how far is the place you mentioned?"

Liu Zhong, carrying six guns, caught his breath and pointed ahead, "Two hours. It's at the Black Pass on the highest peak. We can reach it by midday."

"Two hours..."

Dong Ku glanced at the distant peak, calculated for a moment, and realized that with the injured, they couldn't escape the Japanese pursuit in four hours. They needed to slow down the Japanese.

"What is that place?" Dong Ku asked,收回目光.

"Black Pass is a flat valley between two mountains. In winter, the snow reaches three meters deep, and in some places, it's four to five meters. The snow crust can support us. Once we get there, we can collapse the snow crust we've walked on, and the Japanese won't catch up. After the Black Pass, the wind will erase the footprints in half an hour, and the Japanese won't find us." Liu Zhong explained in detail as they walked.

"It's a plan..." After some thought, Dong Ku agreed with Liu Zhong's plan.

He didn't say more, slowed down, and moved to the back of the group. After climbing a hill, he and Hu Zi stayed behind, hiding by a rock. He took out a high-powered night vision binocular from his backpack and observed the direction they had come from through the hazel bushes...

"It seems we can't shake them off..."

Watching the Japanese soldiers marching quickly in the binoculars, Dong Ku squinted his eyes.

Hu Zi, curious about the new gadget, envied the M4A1 on Dong Ku's back but didn't dare to ask.

Dong Ku put down the binoculars, about to leave, but saw the eager look in Hu Zi's eyes. He smiled and handed the binoculars to Hu Zi.

Hu Zi was delighted, carefully took the binoculars, and, following Dong Ku's instructions, put his eye to the lens...

"My God! Brother, is this a千里眼 (千里眼 means '千里 eye,' which is a term for a very powerful telescope or binoculars)!"

The visible sweat on the Japanese soldiers made Hu Zi exclaim in surprise.

"Hu Zi, this is a binocular."

Dong Ku smiled, took back the binoculars, and patted Hu Zi. "Let's go. We need to shake off these Japanese. They have four machine guns and two 60mm mortars. If they catch up, it will be trouble."

"Okay."

Hu Zi, still excited about the new gadget, obediently responded and crouched to follow Dong Ku down the hill.

After descending the hill, the two ran quickly and caught up with Liu Zhong and the others.

When they reached the front of the group, Dong Ku explained the situation briefly.

Liu Zhong looked back at the exhausted group and knew that if they continued running, they would definitely be caught by the Japanese. If that happened, they wouldn't have time to collapse the snow crust at the Black Pass.

"Brother, what do you think we should do? We'll follow your lead."

Dong Ku didn't hesitate, organized his thoughts, and said, "Currently, Dog Egg, carried by Mazi, is fine, but Sunzi, who has lost a lot of blood, may not make it to the Black Pass at this speed. We need to either lead the Japanese away or slow them down."

Liu Zhong flexed his sore shoulders, stopped, and looked at his companions with determination. "Brother, just say what to do, and we'll follow. We won't hesitate to fight the Japanese!"

"Good!" Dong Ku looked at the group, knowing time was short, and quickly said, "Liu Zhong, you take Sun Tao, Mengzi, and Liu Hai and circle around this path, over that hill. When the Japanese reach the foot of the hill, open fire to draw them away. I'll take the rest straight to the Black Pass. Be careful not to be caught, don't engage them directly, and try to stay hidden. We'll meet at the Black Pass and find ways to slow down the Japanese."

"Okay!" Liu Zhong handled his Type 38 rifle, knowing this was the only way to get the injured to the Black Pass. However, he was still concerned about the Japanese splitting up, so he asked, "What about you?"

"Don't worry about us. Remember to meet at the Black Pass and don't run too fast and block us."

Dong Ku looked at Liu Zhong and the others, then said seriously, "I'm Dong Ku. Don't worry, even with two injured, we won't be caught by the Japanese. Liu Zhong, see you at the Black Pass."

"Okay!"

Liu Zhong bowed and said, "We'll take care of Sunzi and the others. We'll definitely lead the Japanese away." He then turned and ran towards the hill.

Mengzi and the other three didn't speak, looked at Mazi and the others, and followed Liu Zhong.

Seeing Liu Zhong and the others leave, Dong Ku waved his hand. "Shunzi and Sunzi lead the way, Mazi follow, Hu Zi and I stay at the back. Let's go!"

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